


Father Of Time

by ViridescentCrow



Series: Ancestry of Ichor [1]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Demon Kings, Demonology, Demons, Exorcists, F.O.T, F/M, Family Fluff, Father of Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Incest, Multiple chapters, POV Female Character, Paranormal, Rating May Change, Reader-Insert, Some Third Person POV, Spoilers, Time Puns, but not really, reader x various - Freeform, readerXvarious - Freeform, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-01-25 20:45:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1661861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViridescentCrow/pseuds/ViridescentCrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I'm your WHAT?” you gasped in disbelief, your fingers just barely gripping the door as you gaped at the white suited man before you.</p>
<p>“My daughter.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You never knew your father, at least, not until now. You remember wishing to meet him as a kid, wishing he'd come and make your life better- But never did you imagine him using a big pink limo to take you away- and you never expected to be whisked away to join the True Cross Academy Cram School For Training Exorcists!</p>
<p>ReaderxVarious  (With inevitable MephistoxReader)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man"

“ _I'm your WHAT?_ ” you gasped in disbelief, your fingers just barely gripping the door as you gaped at the white suited man before you.

“My daughter.”

“And who are you again?”

“Johann Faust the fifth..Otherwise known as _Mephisto Pheles_.”

 

_One month ago:_

_“Can this truly be...? Oh what a delightful turn of events!” Mephisto exclaimed, his coruscant emerald eyes full of excitement._

_“She did die, didn't she? Was there a problem in gaining her soul?” Amaimon asked, unwrapping a piece of candy and popping it into his mouth as he glanced calmly at his brother._

_“No, I got her soul. But it seems I've gained a little more than that.” a smirk turned up his face as his eyes lowered with interest._

_“What do you mean, Brother?”_

_“The girl seen at her funeral and around her prior to her death, do you remember her?”_

_Amaimon thought for a moment before he nodded. He remembered her but he didn't really see anything special about her.“What about her?”_

_“She wasn't just a regular human daughter of the woman's.”_

_“What is she then?” Amaimon asked, fiddling with the candy wrapper in his clawed fingers out of boredom._

_It took a moment for Mephisto to bring the words to his lips, the overwhelming interest he was experiencing making him giggle with glee. “My daughter!”_

_“Daughter?” Amaimon stopped playing with the candy wrapper, glancing up at his brother, slightly shocked by his words. “That must mean you and that woman-”_

_Mephisto nodded giddily and his smile grew as he spoke, “Many years ago- It hardly mattered back then. But she never told me anything had come of the little rendezvous... Not that I ever saw her again after it, I always assumed with her nature that it belonged to some other man. Nonetheless this has been a pleasant surprise and a most fascinating transpiration~!” the smirk grew and another wave of giggles overcame the white suited demon._

_“What are you going to do then? The girl is almost an adult now and half demon.”_

_“She hasn't shown any signs of inheriting any of my demonic powers but they could still be dormant. Typically in a situation such as this one I would kill the child..Yet I long to see how this shall turn out...”_

_“You'll have to do something about her. If anyone finds out about the girl many of the others back home-”_

_“Indeed I know, Amaimon, I know. To waste such an opportunity would be brash and tactless. It truly is a matter of life and death, after all, and one cannot rush such decisions- It would be such a disappointment to make a reckless choice and loose all the fun in this sudden situation.” Mephisto sighed contently, leaning back in his seat in wonder, his eyes locked on the photo once again. How elating! This truly was a rare occurrence! One did not obtain a new member of the family every day and killing a chance at an interesting story so young would be a loss of a formidable adventure._

_“Are you going to tell father?” Amaimon asked, his teal eyes glossed with curiosity. Why had his brother been made so gleeful at the thought of a daughter? She didn't even seem remotely interesting to him...But Amaimon was never one to completely understand Mephisto._

_The sharp look Mephisto cast Amaimons way was clear enough and as they met gazes, his point was driven home; “I think this is a secret best kept between the two of us, at least for now, dear brother. Anyone else stepping in would spoil the fun.”_

~

**Chapter 1: “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”**

 

' _Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap...._

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap-_ '

“For crying out loud, will you quit that stupid tapping?!”

 

_Silence._

 

“Thank you...”

A sigh of relief is released, shoulders descending quickly from the peaks of frustration. Birds chirp distantly, their songs festooned in the clear blue sky outside the cram school's windows. It would be a perfect day to spend outside with friends, picnics, walks- all things regular students were already outside doing- but as for these particular cram students, they could only dream of such.

Tensed from the lack of noise, the exwires waited impatiently in the silent room, tense from anticipation. They were not to make a noise in the absence of their instructor, less they be forced to sit with Bariyon's on their laps for an entire Saturday- and none of them were taking any chances.

….

' _Tap_ '

“ _Are you serious?_ ” a yell erupted, echoing in the room.

~

 

“My, my. This has certainly caught me at the worst of times, as you can imagine- I'm a very busy man- but I must say I am greatly looking forward to our newest journey together.” Mephisto sighed contently, crossing his legs smoothly as he poured himself a cup of tea and snacked on a lady finger.  
You could have sworn his posture and attitude radiated an anxiousness- but his cool and calm face that was laced with that signature smirk told you otherwise. This wasn't a man who fidgeted or as caught off guard by things such as this. 

'This man' happened to be Mephisto Pheles- or 'Johann Faust the fifth' as he more commonly went by in the world of Assiah- and he was the oddest man you had ever lain eyes on. The composed ring master of True Cross Academy and owner of True Cross Town had swiftly appeared in your life so suddenly as of recently that you constantly wondered if you were being pranked...But no. This man had appeared out of thin air and welcomed himself into your very small and humble life uninvited and was now whisking you far away from the aforementioned life into a brand new, slightly more extravagant one. Not that you had any real arguments- or that anyone cared about your protests- seeing as he was your biological father. Those who had been taking care of you since your mother died simply gave him an odd look, noticed his high society standing, and promptly sent you off with the man.

But had anyone asked you how you felt about this? 

_NO_! Not one damned person had asked you if you agreed with this situation! Your opinions had been chucked out the window the moment he flashed a portion of his paycheck. Most claimed it was 'a better life' he could provide for you and that it was 'the best thing to happen to you' since your mothers death- but who were they to judge your life?! 

Not to mention that this man had only come in your life _after_ your mother was gone! There had been no visits, no phone calls, no letters, no gifts and certainly no mention of this man before! In all of your years he had made no attempt to contact you and whenever you asked your mother she would avoid the subject. You had assumed your father was a deadbeat- but clearly this man was no deadbeat. Besides, if he was so rich, why bother with you anyways? Never having known about him or he knowing about you, why bother to make a move now?

You shifted your gaze back to the window, eyes glossed with crankiness. The more you thought about the situation the more it made you bitter. The passing mysterious city provided little comfort for you but it was better company than with the white suited clown sitting across from you... 

“This must be exciting for you as well, (Name)! A whole new life opened up to you so suddenly!” he cheered and turned to you as if he was expecting an answer.

“Who said I wanted a 'whole new life'?” you seethed, not bothering to give any further explanation. 

“Ah, I see its still a sore spot for you. That's unfortunate, but over time I'm sure you'll see it the way I do~! Given the circumstances however, it is understandable. Anger is one of the stages of depression, after all. And change is a big, scary thing to face isn't it?” he cooed slightly but you refused to look at him.

How dare he mock you like that! Stupid clown! He should know his place and when not to say such idiotic things! Daring a glance at the annoyance known as Mephisto, you shifted your glare only slightly to find he'd continued talking when you hadn't answered- and he was already in mid sentence when you started listening again.

“...Thus I am the only one who can take care of you now. You're much too young to go off by yourself and seeing as other relatives are out of the question, this is the only chance you have at a respectable life. You never had much back there anyhow.”

_'Who the hell does he think he is?! Making a judgment like that so carelessly! He must have a lot of nerve to say that to my face!'_

His words earned him a scuff from you, but you didn't let him catch you looking at him and instead grumbled your response at the window.

“And I suppose this is you 'saving my life'? How very knightly of you! Taking me away from everything I've known and forcing me into a world I want nothing to do with- wow, you've got to be nominated for an award! Is 'Father of the year' good enough? Or is that not a big enough to suit your ego?” you growled, casting a sideways glare at your newly discovered father- who was laughing at you now. 

“You really are something, aren't you? How delightful!” he laughed a bit longer before wiping his eyes and sighing, “Ohhh dear (Name), this is really beginning to prove an entertaining start! As I'm sure you're aware, however, I am a very busy man. I don't have the time to dote on you like a regular human father would- I have businesses to take care of, a school to run and-”

“Mephisto's Empire at its finest..” you scuffed and he simply cast you a bigger smirk.

“Oh, my...This attitude of yours is surely a riveting characteristic~! More over, I must address it early on, so I'm afraid I cannot tolerate it! I understand your anger associated with the situation- but need I remind you that I am not the one to take that out on~?” he set his empty tea cup down and cast a look of delectation adorned with a hint of vexation, “You're just as much of a surprise to me as I am to you and I suggest you direct your anger to another outlet, _dearest_ , otherwise this transition going to be most difficult for you.” 

You said nothing in return- which Mephisto grinned smugly triumphantly at - and turned your full attention to your 'father' once more, studying him. This was the man your mother had fallen for? What the hell did she see in him? His ridiculously flamboyant outfit definitely ensured to scare away any woman within twenty countries, but yet, here you were. The product of your human mother and the Demon King of Time himself. 

“Ah, another thing, (Name)...” he ceased from raising another lady finger to his lips and simpered down at you. “No one can know you are my child, to anyone else, you're an exchange student whom I've taken under my wing and generously brought you to True Cross Academy. Tell whatever story you like, but the fact remains that no one can know. If I hear that the words have fallen from you lips there will be consequences, my dear~”

“But of course. The daughter of Mephisto can't go around screaming her heritage at the top of her lungs...” you sighed, slightly gnawing on the inside of your cheek in thought. Did your mother even know who Mephisto was? She never spoke of him and when you used to ask she'd promise to tell you when you were older- but a demon? Had she known what she was getting into with this man at all?

You dared a glance at him and found him enjoying his treats, eyes closed as if he savored the taste and flavor pouring over his taste buds. He'd offered you some with your tea, which you glanced at now, as it sat waiting for you.

Well, you weren't sure what you'd gotten from his genes, but you did love tea- if that could be counted as an inherited trait. Your mother never enjoyed it as much as you had and upon receiving the cup of warm leaf water once you got in the limo, you'd devoured it quickly. There was no shame in the action, it had been months since you'd had tea. You hadn't had much of an appetite however, so the sweets and lady fingers remained untouched. For a moment you were almost happy, but then he'd opened his big mouth and ruined it by commenting on your appetite for the beverage. 

Speaking of Mephisto... Said 'Demon Father' set the empty wrapper down a moment later and opened one eyelid to peer back at you with his shimmering green iris'. His lips curled into a bigger smile at the sight of your flush cheeks as you turned your eyes away from him. He shifted forward further and continued to stare at you, his eyes burning holes in your face. 

“Perfect~! You understand then. For once, we're on the same page. Maybe this father daughter relationship won't be so difficult after all~?” 

You could have swore he winked but considering you weren't looking at him it was hard to tell. It still upset you, though and your anger bubbled up. How stupid could he be? Saying such things as if it were going to be a walk in the park!

“Piss off!” you hissed and cast a torrid glare his way, your teeth grinding in frustration.

“Ah, well...Baby steps. 'Rome was not built in a day', hm?” he sighed and leaned back, glancing out at the passing city as well, whistling as he bobbed his head side to side.

His sharp features seemed to become less threatening, dulling down and appearing more human for the breath of a moment, the shadows of the buildings casting an temporal aura on his skin. Almost as if he felt your guard being brought down to admire him, his whistling stopped and he threw a growing grin at you knowingly, peering from behind his purple locks.

“Captivated by my appearance?” he purred playfully and you squinted your eyes to a glare and frowned, turning away quickly.

“None of your damned business!”

“On the contrary, dearest! You were looking at me so it is very much my business.” he turned to you and shifted his legs once more, his posture radiating a confidence you didn't like one bit.

“I was just wondering why you would make me join your stupid exorcist school or why you would even bother to have a school like that in the first place. You're not exactly a human, now are you?” you growled and watched as his face shifted from cheeky to amused, his sharp teeth showing the slightest bit from behind his thin pink lips. 

“It is interesting, isn't it? But pressing for answers causes you to miss the experience to be gained by venturing forth for them! I will say that many things can happen to you at times you would never expect and to be fully prepared, you'll need to learn it thoroughly and know the extent of what you could have at the snap of your fingers.” Mephisto reminded haughtily, glancing down at you with dropping, amused eyes. 

Facial features twisted with disgust you clenched your fists in your lap. You knew what he was getting at and you didn't like his accusations on bit!

“I already told you, I'm no demon. Kinship or not- I haven't been tainted by your heritage or 'blessed' with gifts of darkness.” you threw back in his face and sharply turned back to the window, your eyes finally open to the whole different world that was known as 'True Cross Town'.

This was going to be one hell of an experience.  
~

 

“Sir Pheles, welcome back.” 

“Thank you,Yukio.” Mephisto gave a small smile and cast a glance toward you as he stepped out of the limo, extending a hand to help you out. 

You appeased the thought of taking his hand and putting on a show for this Yukio guy but decided not to. He didn't deserve your cooperation and he most definitely didn't deserve your manners in front of others. 

Brushing past Mephisto, you looked at Yukio, studying the brown haired, blue eyed man with glasses for a minute. He gave a nod and a smile in return to your stare and it was everything you had to not burst into a blush right then and there. 

Face nearly flushed with embarrassment, you quickly turned to True Cross Academy with a hard look in your eyes. It almost made you sick. Looking at this grossly rich school and its ornate designs. It was massive and in all its glory as the proteges of wealthy companies piled into its grasp.

“Yukio, meet your newest cram student, (First Name) (Last Name). She's an exchange student I've decided to take guardianship over- like you and your brother.”  
“Ah, Its nice to meet you, Miss (L. Name). I am Yukio Okumura. I look forward to teaching you.”

“Teaching me?” you asked, throwing a questioning glance at him. “You don't look older than me..”

“Hah, well you wouldn't be wrong! I'm the youngest exorcist in history and yes, I am a teacher at the True Cross Academy Cram School. Its a pleasure to meet you!” He bowed and you scrambled to bow back, not wanting to be rude. Sure, being rude to Mehpisto was one thing, but this guy seemed genuinely nice...You'd feel bad if you just brushed him off.

Turning back around to Mephisto, you cleared your throat; “Am I allowed to go unpack now?”  
~

 

“Don't look at me! I wasn't the one tapping away with that damn pencil!”

“Yes you were, don't even try to hide it!”

Yukio frowned as he heard his class from down the hall, fighting off a flush of embarrassment at the sound. They couldn't listen even if their lives depended on it...And now in front of the newest student!

He prayed for a moment that it wouldn't ruin the impression he'd given off earlier and refused to cast a glance at the young woman. He should be direct and clear and focused- but he couldn't deny he was curious about her...

Mephisto glanced at him with a small smirk and nod, motioning toward the door. “Your classroom awaits, Mr. Okumura~”

With that Yukio sighed and opened the door..


	2. "Wound Up"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Friends, strange things and common ground!
> 
> (All chapters are very much puns for time and the like. I hope you enjoy my cheesiness as much as I do! :D )

**Chapter two: “Wound Up”**

 

_What._

_The hell._

_Did you get yourself into?_

 

Eyes opened to the small classroom before you, you watched the sources of the yelling you heard from down the hall fall to silence and slowly turn their attentions toward the door- where a very irritated Yukio stood desperately trying to compose himself. 

His shoulders were tense with irritation, his hands clenching into fists. Aggravation rolled off of his skin as he raised one hand to push his glasses up, light bouncing off the clear glass for only a second as his eyes locked on his students. “Whats the meaning of this?” 

 

The tallest boy, one with dark brown hair and a blonde streak down the center, was the first to speak. He shook himself off the two shorter boys restraining him and glanced at the trio you were a part of curiously before speaking. “Ah, teach'! We were just-”

“I don't want to hear excuses, Bon. What did Rin do?” Yukio interrupted, sighing quietly. He regained his regular composed posture, but you had noted the rising anger enough to know making him angry was not something you wanted to do. Who knew what could have happened...That tiny flash you'd witnessed was frightening! 

“What? Hey, why do ya' assume I did something!” the other boy being held back asked, unceremoniously yanking himself out of the hold on him and turning toward Yukio with a spin of fury. His ice cold glare flared up behind his sapphire eyes, his dark raven hair swaying in the wind of his movements. He began to yell, but stopped as his eyes landed on you,“I didn't do a- Oh, who's that?”

“Don't change the subject! We heard you fighting from down the hall..” Yukio growled, walking over to his desk with a sigh. “Can any of you follow through and do what you're told at least once?”

“Sorry Mr. Okumura...” the boy called Bon sighed and walked back to a seat, sitting beside two other boys- who were studying you. 

The first was a boy with salmon colored hair, a dreamy look flooding his facial features. The second was a more reserved boy with red glasses and shaven gray hair, but he only glanced at you with a curiousness.

The dark haired boy- Rin, you thought- followed the same seat as Bon as Yukio demanded he sit down. 

The thought about turning and leaving crossed your mind more than once in the few short moments you'd been inside the classroom but Mephisto was standing in the doorway blocking the exit.

Damn. There went that plan. 

Cursing inwardly you forced your self to turn back around and face Yukio just as he had gestured toward you. A sigh passed your lips but you went to the front of the room anyways and glanced at the small group of students in the class. None of them were too exciting... There was an odd kid in the back with a puppet but you hardly considered that exciting- more odd than anything else.

“Now then...” Yukio took a breath and turned to you with a gentle smile. “What do you think, Miss (L.Name)? Should we just let them off with a warning this time?”

“Uh...Sure.” Why the hell was he asking you?! You just got here! It's not like you knew what the punishment was...But you still didn't want to be a part of it!

“Good choice. Everyone, this is our newest cram student attending- (F. Name) (L. Name). She'll be attending classes with us from now on.” Yukio smiled and turned to you, “Go ahead and pick a seat.”

With a nod you walked off to an empty table off to the side, taking your seat.

Actually, you'd assumed the class would be much larger...But six, seven people? Wasn't that terribly small? What about the exorcists of the future? Who would take the places of the ones that were dying by the minute...?

Was this world diminishing that quickly?

A feeling on unease settled down into your bones, stitching under your skin. It bubbled down into your stomach and you fidgeted in your seat. Such a small class for such a big world..No wonder Mephisto wanted you to join- there was hardly anyone here to take the places of the fleeting numbers of exorcists! Could it be because of the worlds disbelief in demons? Or their willingness to turn their attentions away from the unknown? You couldn't help but ponder the possibilities while Yukio babbled about at the front of the class..In all honesty, you should have been paying attention but you couldn't help it! This class was so tiny- it made you wonder... 

 

“Hey there~” a voice called and you snapped out of your wandering trance, turning to see the owner of the voice.

It was that salmon haired boy near that 'Bon' from earlier, standing beside your desk and grinning down at you confidently.

“Oh, yes?” you blinked up, a little lost. A quick glance around told you the class was over and most of the students were packing up for the day.

You'd spaced out for the whole class.

The whole class.

 

You lazy bum.

You scrambled to get your things together, stuffing your notebooks and pencils into your school bag as the pink haired boy talked, his voice smooth and cheerful. You listened to him as he spoke, slightly enjoying the sound of his voice. It wasn't that bad, actually, it had a nice tone to it. So smooth and comforting. And his brown eyes and the way they shone with an admiration for the world, as if he was truly seeing the beauty in everything. It was quite admirable- not that you'd tell him such, though. You did just meet him and all...Actually, you hadn't even met him! Or did you? 

You couldn't remember.

“I was wondering, since you're new here, if you knew your way around? If not, you could always come with us and we could show you around~” the boy beamed, offering you a hand as you stood, “Or if you do, you could come hang out with us just cause'!”

You glanced at his friends waiting by the door, the boy with the raven hair- Rin, you remembered-, the tall tanned one called 'Bon' and the shorter one with shaved gray hair...You don't think you got his name- or this guys name either..

“Uh...I don't know who you are..” you pointed out and the boy laughed.

“Ah, how stupid of me! I'm Renzo Shima! Enchanted to meet you~” 

You took his hand and shook it, giving a small smile in return. “Its nice to meet you as well. I'm (Name) (L.Name).”

“So are you gonna' hang out with us?”

“Uh...Sure!” you nodded and Renzo cheered, walking over to the others and beckoning you along.

“Check it out guys, I got the new girl to chill with us!”

“Ah, awesome! I'm Rin Okumura!” the raven haired boy beamed, grinning happily as you gave a weary smile back, “And this is Konekomaru Miwa..” 

The short, gray haired boy he had put his arm around looked like he was going to argue against Rin's introduction, but let it go and bowed his head towards you. “Nice to meet you!”

“You too!”

“And this is 'Bon'-”

“I can introduce myself!” Bon snapped at Rin, glowering at the black haired boy, who threw his hands up in defense and shrugged, “I'm Ryuji Suguro, it's a pleasure to meet you.” 

The tall tanned boy bowed and you nodded back, noticing now that he had tons of piercings in his ears. With that dyed hair and those piercings- and don't even forget about that fighting attitude with Rin- you'd immediately noted him as a rebel type but such didn't seem to fit very well right now...He was so polite and nice.

“Ah, nice to meet you all! I'm (Name)! But, if I may ask, if your name is Ryuji, why do they call you Bon?”

“Ah, its,” Ryuji's face flushed with the hints of a blush on his cheeks, “A nickname, is all.”

“Ahahah, we've called him that since he we were little!” Renzo chuckled, leaning toward Ryuji in a teasing mannor, “But I guess you could say he is our little 'Bonbon'~”

“Knock it off, Shima!”

“Oh, but aren't you a bonbon? Frozen on the outside and always so elegantly serious?” Shima teased further and you stiffled a giggle- Ryuji was getting so flustered.

“Shut up! That's not why you call me that!”

“You guys are still in the class room, you know...” Yukio sighed, speaking suddenly from behind Ryuji.

Ryuji lowered his voice and the anger washed from his face. “Ah, sorry, teach.”

“Whatda need, Yukio? Come to hang out with your big bro?” Rin laughed and you raised an eyebrow.

“You're only older by a few seconds- don't think of it as a head start- and no, you're just in the way of the door.”

“Big bro?” you asked, glancing from Rin to Yukio. 

“Oh, Rin and Yukio are fraternal twins. Rin's the first born.” Konekomaru clarified and your eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? Wow, I would have thought Yukio was older! I mean, he is teaching and he seems much more mature..”

“Hey! That's rude!” Rin objected but his anger was only met by laughs as the group you had joined wandered out of the classroom.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all...

 

~

 

“Finally..” you sighed and flopped onto your bed. It had taken you a while, but you'd finally unpacked and moved into your permanent quarters- a section off the girls dorm that was closer to the cram school. You'd spent a little time in class picking up the students names and studying but it wasn't all that difficult...It was just like school work but more demon related.

You closed your eyes and sighed again, taking a deep breath. This certainly wasn't where you expected to be a week ago..A week ago you would have thought you'd have a job by now! Hell, you would have never given your 'father' a second thought if it hadn't been for that doofus! 

Who did that anyways? Showing up in the middle of someones life just to come and change it. Drastically, you might add, considering you had to leave your home and the people you cared about. 

What kind of life would you lead now? Would becoming an exorcist really be what you'd do? You barely knew a thing about it! Sure, you could see demons, but if one attacked you you would know what to do! You hadn't studied as long as the other kids in the class had and you didn't have their drive for it...  
So what business did you have in that damn school?

The looming dread of the situation hung above your head and for a minute, you felt the crushing tension you'd avoided lock your limbs. You wanted to stop moving, wanted to just sink into the earth below you and forget about everything...you wanted to sleep and dream of nothing more than the happiest memories you had...

As your lungs drowned with the heavy air of sadness, your eyes burning with the brink of tears, you tried to compose yourself. The day wasn't over yet and you'd been told by Yukio that Mephisto had requested to see you after class...No one needed to see this, especially not Mephisto. He'd probably try and pull some sarcastic bullshit out of his ass and offer you a hug or something. Whatever! He could take his 'paternal instincts' and go straight to Hell!

Errr. Wait... You weren't sure if Gehenna counted as Hell. 

“Same difference...” you muttered to yourself and huffed.

Willing yourself to stand and revert to the mask of irritation, you shoved your feelings to the back of your mind. Never would Mephisto see you upset, never would he know. You couldn't allow it...

Knocking on the door to his personal office, you waited for only a moment, but it was long enough for you to feel the wind in the shadows. The eyes of someone watching, waiting, peeling your skin back layer by layer.

“H-Hello?” you asked, trying to sound stronger than you felt. “If anyone's there, knock it off! This shit isn't funny..” you growled and turned in a circle, slowly scanning the room. 

_There._

You could have swore the shadow moved before your eyes, the glistening of eyes shinning beneath the layers of darkness. Whoever it was freaking you out like this was going to pay for it! So help you-

“My, my...(Name), who are you talking to?” Mephisto asked, opening the door and letting the light of his personal office shine in the hallway. The shadow you could have swore was there was gone now, the light showing nothing but an empty wall.

“Nothing...” you muttered and turned back around, casting a glare over your shoulder towards the shadows. “Absolutely nothing...”

“Well then, come in. We must discuss your allowance.” He sighed and opened the door a little wider, letting you pass by him.

You didn't see the smirk and amused look he gave to the shadows, however, or the knowing look he tossed back to them before shutting the door.

 

~

 

**A Month Later:**

You sat by yourself in the sunlight, doodling away on the homework you had finished quite a while ago. It didn't matter much, it was a simple worksheet, but still...

The tiny scene of a seascape brought up bubbles of sadness in your thoughts. The warm air. The wind blowing through your hair as the smell of salt drifted around you. Cold water dancing around your body as you swam in the oceans deep caress. Nothing could compare to the beach in summer...And every year you went with her.. 

“Hey, (Name)!” someone called from a distance.

Twisting your torso, your eyes scanned the almost empty school yard until you found one of your classmates- and newest friends-, Rin Okumura, approaching you with a small white terrier trailing beside him. 

“I wonder what he's doing here...” You muttered to yourself, but waited for him to get to you. “Ah, yes, Rin?”

“Hey! What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?” he asked and glanced around, “Both school's have been over for a while...”

“I like to be by myself...” you mumbled and glanced away from him. “Its easier to do work.”

“Whoa, you've got all your homework done already?” Rin asked amazed by your hard work, “I haven't even started mine!”

“Good grades take hard work. To get the best options available to you, you have to work your hardest....Not that you don't.” you quickly added seeing his face fall a little. Just as you had begun to think of an apology you realized that you had misunderstood. It wasn't in sadness but awe. 

His dark blue eyes had settled onto your paper and scanned the drawing. Embarrassed, you froze, unable to cover it up now. What was so special about it? It was just a doodle...He really didn't need to look so awestruck by it!

“You can draw too? Sweet!” he beamed and sat down next to you. “Do you mind if I take a look?”  
“Uh- no...Not at all.” you handed him the paper. At least he hadn't caught you with your sketch book...Then you would have been mortified.

“Ohh, the detail is really nice...You're super talented!” Rin complimented and flashed you a big grin. 

The white terrier gazed at the paper as well and you could have swore there was a mischievous gleam in the dogs eyes. He reminded you of someone...Those odd eyes and that strange pink bow around its neck.

“Thank you...”

“Haha, no problem. The only real talent I have is cooking! But seeing other peoples talents is nice...Its like a gateway to who they are!”

You wanted to tell him he was wrong, but another thought washed away your argument. Your eyes were drawn to his shirt- and something moving inside it.

“Uh...Don't freak out...But I think you have something in your shirt...” you whispered and Rin looked down to where your eyes were and laughed once he saw it.

“Hahaha! No, don't worry, it's just my tail!” he assured and before you knew it, he lifted up his shirt and a long, black tail with a tuft of fur at the end unraveled from around his torso.

“Errrr....Normal humans don't have...tails.” you stated but it was more to yourself rather than to him.

“Oh, uh, yeah...heh...Well, you see...Everyone else in the class kind of already knows- and since you're new and all you haven't really gotten the chance to see me in action!” Rin scratched the back of his head and passed back the paper to you.

“See you in action?” you raised an eyebrow, but the innocence and friendliness on his face was clear- this must have been something he'd honestly forgotten to tell you about.

“I'm, uh, the son of Satan.” he gave a nervous chuckle and your eyes widened. “Well, Me and Yukio are, since we're twins. We both have some powers from him, blue fire, pointed ears and teeth- and our tails and claws!” Rin clarified and glanced down at you sheepishly. “But we can't tell anyone outside of the Cram School...Others kind of freak out...Being related to the God of Demons frightens a lot of people- so I understand if you're scared- but I promise you I'm nothing at all like Satan!” he assured, a wave of uncertainty washing in his vast ocean blue eyes.

Sons of Satan?

 

...Half demons...Your teacher and classmate were half demons- like you.

 

“Scared?” you asked and Rin nodded as he met your eyes- but his cautiousness soon faded as soon as he saw the intent look in your eye. “Why the hell would I be scared of you? You're still Rin, I've just learned something new about you!”

Yeah, you learned something alright...You learned you weren't the only one with a demon for a parent...But if Mephisto knew about Rin and Yukio- would he let you tell them about your secret? I mean, what harm could it do? They were almost exactly like you- probably stronger because of who their birth father is and having actually inherited powers- but other than that...

“Awesome! Normally everyone is scared- but I'm glad you aren't!”

“..I know what that's like, I've been in a-” you started, but as soon as you begun to speak, the small white dog had yanked the paper out of your lap and was running off with it. “H-Hey! Give that back!” 

Both you and Rin immediately stood up and begun sprinting after the dog. Your eyes locked on the tiny being as it dashed out of your reach, your fingers just had barely grazed the ends of its white fur as it evaded your reach. 

Rin leaped forward to try and snatch the dog from the ground, but just as he did the dog made a sharp right turn and instead Rin's face smashed into the ground.

Immediately you stopped chasing the dog and went beside Rin, kneeling beside him.

“Oww....” you heard him grumble through the dirt as he picked himself out of the earth and shook his head to rid of the debris. 

“Are you okay?” you asked and scanned him over for any injuries. When he gave you that stupid, wide grin again you sighed in relief and returned a small one. “Yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry about me! But where did that dog go? Making off with your homework like that...Damn that Mephisto..”

“Mephisto?” you asked and eyed Rin carefully. You hoped your posture wasn't laced with the concern you felt tumble beneath your skin..But you couldn't fight the chill of realization from making your skin shiver.

The stars were in your favor this time and Rin was clueless to your change of attitude as he nodded and stood. He combed through the school yard with his eyes and searched for the white furred dog. “Mhm, Mephisto's a demon who can turn into a small dog- don't ask me how though...” Rin shrugged and turned back to you. “I'm not sure what interest he'd have with your homework. He's kind of strange like that sometimes.” Rin shrugged and you sighed.

“Its fine...I'll just ask him for it back later. Thank you, Rin! I'm sorry you got hurt trying to help..”

“Don't sweat it! I like helping others out! Plus you're my friend so you get top priority on the help list!”

“Friends, huh?” you smiled gently before meeting his eyes, “Well, I'm glad to have you as a friend, Rin! You should head back to the others, though....I have to go get my homework.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow, (Name)!” Rin waved and ran back off the way he originally came. 

With Rin out of sight, your smile and positive posture fell. 

_Who the fuck did Mephisto think he was, tricking you like that?_ He could have at least told you he could turn into a dog! Not to mention an adorable one...But that wasn't what mattered here! He'd known about Rin and Yukio and hadn't even told you! Not to mention he stole your homework!

You set off sprinting towards his office, forgetting in your fit of anger that you had a key to get in directly. It didn't matter much, though, you could blame him further for making you run!

'Stupid Mephisto!' you thought to yourself as you stormed in his office. Just as you gulped in air, preparing to scream in his face for tricking you like that, you stopped.

He wasn't here.

 

“Where the hell did that bastard go?” you growled and glared around the office to finding nothing but emptiness to fuel your agitation.

You stormed back out of the office, the door slamming behind you and stomped to your dorm quarters. You had searched his quarters, the Cram class rooms- even that fucking regular school! You found no trace of him and whomever you asked hadn't either.

“Damn him...Fucking tricking me and then running off...I hope he's fucking proud of himself.” you grumbled as you kicked off your shoes- swinging open your bedroom door and stuffing them under your desk. You turned quickly to throw you bag on your bed- but instead of landing with a soft thunk- it instead landed on a paper carefully laid on your bed.

You pushed your bag off the paper and picked it up. Sure enough, even from a distance you knew what it was.

_**Your homework.**_

“You've really disappointed me, (Name), I hope you know that.” a very familiar voice sighed from behind you and you turned quickly on your heel to come face to snout with the very same terrier you'd been chasing earlier.

“Mephisto! What the hell is your problem-”

“I don't understand why you're using such foul language and yelling at _me_..You're the one who was going to tell Rin about our little secret.” he sighed and with a puff a smoke he was transformed back into his regular form- white jester suit and all. The only thing missing was the smirk and amused look he usually wore- now he looked strained, a little tired and actually disappointed.

You refused to let yourself feel guilty about it.

“You don't know that! You didn't even let me finish what I was gonna' say to him!”

His eyes met yours with a knowing look- but as previously stated, it was not a positive one. Instead, he seemed a little more angry at you. “Yes, I do. He was talking to you about _his_ father. The only thing you could tell him that would even be remotely related to that subject is about me- and I had forbidden you to do such a thing. Are you really trying to betray me and sever my trust in you, (Name)?”

“ _What fucking trust?_ ” you growled, your hands balling into fists as you took a step forward. “You call _this_ trust? You call trying to find common ground with someone else _betraying you_? You didn't even tell me there were others like me! Not to mention you had to rely on tricks to eavesdrop on my conversations with my new friend because you didn't trust me! Isn't telling your daughter you can turn into a small dog something you could trust her with? Or how about telling her she's not the only one who's half demon? Apparently not! You don't even know what I was going to say to Rin and you jumped the gun because you didn't _trust_ me, Mephisto!” you hissed and your eyes lowered to slits as you talked- while Mephisto hadn't changed his facial expression once. Not even a flash of remorse.

_'Stupid jester! You really piss me off!'_ you thought to yourself. 

“Just-Just leave me alone! Go do some of that 'important business' you're always going on about!” you huffed and slammed the paper onto your desk, turning away from Mephisto.

He made no effort to leave though and instead you heard him step towards you, pulling out your chair and sitting himself in it as you stood. 

“I shall go no where unless I wish to, not to mention you haven't received your punishment yet.” he sighed tilting his head to the side as you turned quickly, your body burning with the heat of rage.

“Punishment? For what? I did nothing wrong!” you snapped and glowered down at him. 

His expression didn't change, his eyes were still bleak and briefly annoyed, the typically vibrant green now dull with dissatisfaction. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his chin in thought, staring at the ceiling as if he were contemplating.

“I could ground you and keep you in your room, forcing you away from your peers- but that seems a little harsh, doesn't it?” he sighed and tilted his head to the other side now while you boiled with silent rage. “Hmmm, I've got it! After school you'll be at my side and accompany me with my work. You'll sit with me in my office and dine with me, after which you will then return to your room for sleep...Only I may relieve you of this punishment and it should commence for....Three weeks.”

“Three weeks? That’s ridiculous!”

“Four.” he stated and for a minute, the flash of amusement and smirk was on his face, the shadows darkening. You had a feeling he was daring you to argue further and that he liked upsetting you like this- waving this punishment over your head.

Instead, you stayed quiet, biting your tongue.

“Its settled then. Your punishment starts tomorrow after you're done with your classes- oh, and I'd bring some things to do, the work I have to do often requires my full attention- and I don't need you to be bothering me while I'm working. You'll need to be quiet and busy yourself...Perhaps it'll give you time to think on exactly how you came dangerously close to spilling the secret- and even then you might learn to value the promises you make to others. Well then, I'll bid you adieu. Toodles~! ” 

With that he stood and slid the chair back in its place, smirk and amused look back on his face as he brushed by you. You cast one last glare as he waltzed out of your room and you could have sworn he let out a chuckle.

With internal screams unable to be held back, you threw yourself on your bed angrily and stuffed your face in your pillow.

It was going to be a very difficult month...One month, spent by the side of Mephisto.

' _Are you sure I can't go where you are, mom?_ ' you thought and sighed as you closed your eyes and hoped to wake up from this nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK. So. I wanted a little bit more feedback before I posted this, but I'm not a very patient person and I'm really excited for this story! So I went ahead and posted it. Hopefully after you all get a taste of this chapter I can have more confidence in the story ^.^" I don't want to stop halfway through like most other authors do- I want to finish this story! Nonetheless, this is really beginning to a common thing for me! I edit like mad after I write it and its very much a process of insanity ;m; 
> 
> I try, though, to be as on target for each character as I can- which is another process all its own XD Gah, you didn't read this to listen to me babble on. The point I'm trying to make is I want to know if you guys actually enjoy this thus far! 
> 
> :) Have a wonderful night/day~
> 
> -  
> Viri


	3. "One Step at a Time"

**Chapter 3: “One step at a Time”**

 

**_A Few Days Later:_ **

The hallways were quite after school. Typically they'd be buzzing with the noise of the class rooms- but this was after school and no classes were running anymore. There was a student here or there scampering about, but as you made your way to Mephisto's office, the activity dwindled down.

And now that you were in his office...

_Silence._

You squirmed in your seat as you fiddled with your sketch book and kneaded your eraser in your hands. There was something missing in the picture but you couldn't put your finger on it. A scowl painted on your face as you glared at the half finished drawing and you almost let a big sigh slip out of your lips- but stopped yourself just in time. Without knowing what you were doing- and focusing on his own work- Mephisto surely would have pegged the sigh off as an attempt to annoy him. He would have been wrong but seeing where you were now you already knew he wouldn't listen to you.

You silently set your sketch book to the side and instead picked up one of the mangas Mephisto had on a bookshelf nearby. He'd told you they were his private collection and you were allowed to read them if you so wished- but at first you hadn't even spared a glance at them. Now that you'd spent almost two weeks in his damned office, they held more interest than before. 

You had to admit, they weren't that bad. Actually...You dared say they were enjoyable- but you'd never admit it to Mephisto.

“Dear (Name), have you given up on your drawing already?” 

Speak of the devil...

You raised your head and glanced Mephisto's way, curiosity and caution swirling in your (e/c) eyes. “For the moment....Why?”

“Does one honestly need a reason to ask his daughter about her drawings?” he asked and raised a thin purple eyebrow in curiosity, but the mischievous gleam in his eye told you he had a reason.

“Only if that 'one' is you. You always have a reason.” you shrugged and eyed your sketchbook.

“How observant. I suppose in this case you're correct.” he sighed and rested his bearded chin on his folded hands, his eyes locked on you as he spoke. His voice wasn't cocky or confident like it usually was and instead you found it was void of his usual tone- his voice was softer as he spoke. “I only wanted to ask a favor of you...I notice you draw quite often and you have an certain finesse for it. Its not a skill many have and I must admit that seeing you work with such a talent is admirable...Perhaps you wouldn't mind teaching me some tips of the trade sometime?” he asked gently and you froze, nearly dropping the manga in your hands.

“You want..You want me to teach you to draw?” you asked with a stunned voice.

“Well, only if you so wished and if I move my schedule around to set some time away for it..It doesn't have to be a big event, just a few tips from an experienced teacher to a simple student.” Mephisto shrugged and leaned back in his chair. He picked up a paper and begun to read it, tapping a pen to his chin as he did so.

“I...Sure. I'll teach you...Its not that hard.”

“Really?” Mephisto glanced up, his usual look of amusement having returned, “Fantastic~! I'll be sure to set aside some time to be taught...But for now, lets go see what we have for dinner, hm?” 

Mephisto stood and you followed suit, trailing after him. He hummed softly as the two of you walked and even whistled for a little portion of the journey, twirling his umbrella on his finger as you made your way down the hall.

“Now then, come along, (Name).” He sang and unlocked two big double doors to reveal a huge room filled with paintings and velvet curtains. The chandelier glistened with golden flames and hung above a small table big enough for two people. 

Immediately you were too stunned to move but as Mephisto waltzed forth and pulled out one chair, glancing towards you, you snapped out of your shock and took the seat.

“T-Thank you..” you muttered and twisted to look around the room, “This is...A pretty big room for just one small table...” 

“Well, it is better fitted for a grand table for dining parties, but I had it rearranged so it would be more suitable for just the two of us.” Mephisto smiled and sat across from you as you waited, “My dear, what is it you wish to eat? I can have anything your heart desires made up in the best of time.” he smiled and with the flicker of anticipation in his eyes, he leaned forward.

You scrambled to think of something appeasing to eat- but struggled to focus on your preferences from being put on the spot like you were. “U-Uh, I'll...I want...Pancakes.”

“Pancakes?” Mephisto asked and his eyes widened as he repeated your request. “Anything you can imagine and you ask for pancakes?” There was no denying the shock in his voice and from the looks of it, you'd really caught him off guard.

You nodded sheepishly and groped the air to catch the words running rampant through your head. “I..Mom, used to always...Make the best.” you looked down at your hands and fell silent, realizing what you had said and to whom. A flash flood of worry swept you in its grasp as you panicked. Had you really just said that? What would Mephisto think? Your eyes nearly bugged out of your head with the shock you'd brought upon yourself but it soon faded into an emptiness. 

Tears threatened to march down your cheeks at the thought of your mother but you fought the feeling from bubbling over. Emptiness enveloped you in its chains and the sinking feeling you'd been fighting off started to drag you further down into its embrace.

_**No**_. You wouldn't cry here. Not now. Not in front of Mephisto.

“Very well then..” Mephisto said softly and turned to a tiny demon to give the order. When he was finished, he turned back to you and snapped his fingers. 

Following the action, his top hat, jacket and umbrella floated over to a coat rack near the doors and a tea cart appeared beside the table. It was filled with all different types of teas and some snacks but you didn't spare it a second glance. Instead you forced yourself to remain calm and push away the sadness you felt ripping at your bones. You tried to imagine flying, tried to imagine being miles up and away from your body but the chains of depression held you down tightly. It was as if they were slowly pulling you into the ground, digging you a grave with the sharp pointed thoughts of longing and loss you constantly felt. 

It took you a minute but eventually you collected yourself and glanced back up at Mephisto just in time to meet his eyes. There was mild amusement in his eyes, but it wasn't as fiery as usual. Instead it shared the stage of his green eyes with an emotion you couldn't read- but it was soft and calculating, almost lethargic in a way.

Upon meeting your gaze, Mephisto leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. His virescent pupils studying you with a great deal of curiosity. You fidgeted under his gaze and eventually looked away, unable to contain the blush on your face.

“You loose something over here?” you asked sarcastically and threw a playful glare his way. 

His eyelids lowered onto his glistening eyes and his smirk returned, the flame of amusement once again taking the stage of his glass garden eyes. He leaned forward again, his chin resting on his intertwined hands patiently and he gave a short, hardy laugh. “Always full of surprises, (Name). Never a dull moment...How has school been going? And your exorcist training?” he asked, his voice oddly thoughtful.

“School's been fine. My training is the same as always, nothing new to report.” you shrugged and unfolded your napkin into your lap, smoothing it across your legs.

“Have you decided what Meister category you wish to go into yet?” Mephisto reached for a cup of tea, gently stirring in some sugar as he spoke.

“Well...I have thought about it but I'm still not sure whats the best fit...I don't really think I fit in with any of the categories...”

“You'll find your path soon enough, worrying will only cause you unneeded stress.” 

You nodded and thought for a moment...What category were you going to go into? You knew you could have a Meister rank in each of the five categories- but which one would be your main?

You could wait until the taming trials to try your hand at a being a Tamer. That wouldn't be so bad- and there weren't many exorcists who could tame demons these days!

And being a Doctor would certainly help in some fields- the fatal wounds of demons were nothing light and knowing what to do to help those hurt would be an extra bonus...

You didn't know scripture very well so Aria was out of the question...

Guns weren't your thing either, so being a Dragoon wouldn't really help anyone much..And you didn't have a sword like Rin to fight demons with- so being a Knight would only prove to be more useless...

But you could learn to use a sword or a gun, at least. So if you failed in being a Tamer and couldn't get the proper antidotes down, you had something to fall back on...You didn't really enjoy the though of being an Aria, though..It could be helpful but you didn't really see yourself doing that kind of thing.

“Definitely not an Aria though...” you mumbled and Mephisto glanced up, smirking over his cup as he focused his eyes on you.

“I didn't ever satiate the though of you ever pursuing that path.” he chuckled and for a minute, you let yourself smile back at him.

“Neither did I.”  
~

 

**A Few Days Later:**

 

“What about this?” Mephisto asked, holding up the paper he was drawing on to show you his work.

“....You're hopeless.” you deadpanned and frowned.

“How cruel!” his face grew tight and his eyebrow twitched in annoyance as you sighed. You lifted your own drawing and started at it for a minute, tapping your pencil on your cheek in thought. It was alright, nothing too special. Just a little doodle of Mephisto in his terrier form.

“Well, its obvious you don't have the skill- but you can have this one if you want.” you mumbled and offered him the drawing. 

He glanced at you shortly before taking the paper and studying it. A smile cracked across his face and his gaze flicked up to yours with a wicked radiance. “You haven't even scratched the surface of how utterly adorable I am in that form.”

“Hey, I'm not the one who drew a lake that looked like a firetruck, buddy.” you giggled and Mephisto's eyebrow started twitching again.

“It was a landscape from Gehenna!”

“Sure it was.”

“You just aren't fond of the more abstract kinds of art-” he started but as a knock at the door sounded he stopped. “Pardon me...”

He stood and walked over to his desk, sitting down in his chair. “Come in.”

“Sir Pheles, quickly! There's a demon attacking one of the dorms!” A teacher stormed in, rigid with adrenaline.

“A what? How did it get through the wards?” Mephisto asked and stood up, brows furrowing in confusion.

“We're not sure, but there are some students who locked themselves in one of the bathrooms to try and escape it. We've got exorcists already on the case but we fear there may still be some demons lurking about the building.”

“Right then, lets go. (Name) stay here-” Mephisto started toward the door but you yanked him back an inch, tugging on his wrist.

“You said I had to stay 'by your side'! Besides, this will give me the chance to see the different Meister categories in action!” you argued and Mephisto's face flashed with anger before he sighed and shooed you in front of him, impatience written on his face. 

“Fine, but stay by my side and don't wander off. This could be dangerous for an exwire like yourself.”

You nodded and followed after Mephisto and the teacher, a little bit excited about seeing exorcists in action- you'd seen class examples before, but nothing as serious and raw as this!

The air was heavy with a tangible negativity as you approached the door. Teachers and some exorcist students were clumped up in tiny groups before the building, but most of them raised their heads as Mephisto walked towards them.

“Sir Pheles-” Yukio started but his eyes fell on you for a moment, confusion swirling in his deep teal pools. It passed as he focused back on the matter at hand- but his curiosity was already detected.

You couldn't really blame him...Mephisto was never accompanied by any student and certainly not when arriving to a scene like this. You wondered what story Mephisto would spin for him and others later on- or if he even realized it was odd to have you by his side. Without knowing the connection between you two it would seem out of place in the eyes of others. And you could tell most of them had taken note of it, their curious glances were hard to miss.  
Ignoring everyone else for a minute, you looked up at the dorm building. It had taken on a sickly purple and gray glow, you could see the outline of an almost invisible smoke, shimmering over the bricks. A deep voice echoed in the sounds of fire and a cackle disguised itself in the crackle of fire.

“This...”

“We have reports on it..It seems to be just a few ghouls running about- but there are at least two middle classed ones that we've seen- we're not sure if there are any else.” 

“Have you already sent others inside?”

“Yes, they're clearing it out as we speak.” Yukio turned to the building and frowned as mist poured out of one of the open windows. “Ah, it seems they found one.”

Following after the mist, a blur of movement jumped from the window- surrounded by clumps of coal tars. It shifted into a figure- one moving too fast for you to recognize- and landed just before a group of exorcists, a booming roar erupting from the beast just as it landed. 

Exorcists immediately jumped into action, weapons being drawn and tamed demons being summoned as the Aria's begun reciting scripture- and none of them even flinched when more demons spewed from the windows. The demons rained down with the the glass, shattering the barely visible screen around the dorm as they leaped toward the concrete street.

“What? There weren't that many before!” Yukio exclaimed and drew his guns out, jumping into the action.

“Hmmm...” Mephisto's features grew darker, the shadows on his face intensifying as he watched on. You could have sworn his eyes took on a tint of red- but as you tried to justify such thoughts, a demon came barreling toward the three of you.

“Get back!” you heard someone yell but you froze in place, eyes locked on the misshapen demon leaping toward you. It oozed an acidic liquid and the ground hissed in protest as it absorbed the impact of the demonic secretion. 

“(Name)! Move-” someone yelled again.

The demons paw shaped legs pounded and shook the earth it grazed. With each slap of its feet on pavement your heart pounded, silencing as its feet raised from the ground. Your brain tried to force your body to move, tried to make its waves will you to shift your position- but the fight was faulty. Fear silenced the voice in your head and bound you to the ground, locking you in your soon to be grave.

“(Name)-” another voice called- but it was too late to move, too late to be saved.

 

With a snap the demon plucked you from the ground as it would a flower between concrete slabs. Air tore at your skin and the sense of gravity left you as the demon carried you away. The light of the dorm and street faded away as you were carried through the dark sky. The stars flew past your eyes, trying their best to lift you away from the beast- but the secreting acid that burned your skin warded away their intended help. 

Your skin felt like a layer of ice as you were thrown out of the demons hands, the air whipping around your body like tiny needles. Your body smacked against a tree and your head smashed against the bark. A metallic taste filled your mouth and air filled your head, feather light thoughts drifting out through a crack you were almost positive had just separated your skull.

You forced yourself to look up at the demon only a few feet away, its jowls slipping off at the edges as it growled. 

This was some type of Ghoul, right...? It must be decaying...

You fought the migraine that had begun to pound in your aching body and you forced yourself to stand, falling here and there and shaking as you did so. You gripped at a low branch to support yourself, eying the demon with a great deal of fear- and anger. What did this demon want with you? Out of everyone there, why you?

“What the hell do you...Want with me?” you hissed and the demon growled in response, its sulfurous saliva dripping as it started to slowly walk towards you, its body tense.  
A malicious sense overcame you and you couldn't help but growl back, glaring at the demon as it leaped toward you. Its body made contact with yours and you were thrown back once more- your back scratching against the abrasive bark of the tree as you were pushed away from it. Your head slammed into the earth as you fell back and you winced in pain, hissing in protest to your body's newly made injuries. One eye was forced to open as the demon loomed over you, its paws pressed against your shoulders, crushing your collar bone at its ends and making it almost impossible to move.

Its decaying face leaned towards yours and the acidic spit dribbled dangerously close to your head. The ground it touch decayed quickly and you heard the sizzle of poison seep into the grass. You glared up and lifted your other eyelid, meeting the demons beady gaze with your own ice cold glare.

“RrrrAggg!” the demon howled and its head flung back before it threw it back down, aiming for you.

“Go to hell!” you screamed and tried to fling your hands in front of you, a forced muscle memory reaction in times like this. They landed on the legs of the demon, however, and its sticky skin was rotted to the bone. Your head turned to the side and your eyes squeezed shut as you braced for the snap of teeth around your skull- but it never came.

Confused and bewildered, you snapped your head forward to find the demon frozen in place- and none the happy about it. You squirmed out if its reach and rolled away from it quickly- just in time enough for its bite to eat the air your body had occupied mere seconds earlier. The pounding of your heart reminded you that you were alive and shock awoke the adrenaline in your veins, unlocking your limbs from the pain and fear just enough for you to move them. You jumped out of the demons next lunge and gasped in anticipation. Sure, you'd had adrenaline highs before where things got slower- but that demon had stopped! His mouth was just about to feast on your brains and it had ceased all movement, like it was stuck- Or frozen! There was no way adrenaline could ever do such a thing- no matter how much adrenaline was being pushed through your veins!

“(Name), watch out!” Someone called and you turned to see Yukio and some other exorcists rushing around you. With your attention on the others, you had taken your eyes off the demon- and you heard it leap towards you, the sound amplified. The brush of its feet on the brash, like metal grinding on metal, unpleasant and humorously demonic in nature. Your (e/c) eyes flicked to where it had pounced and was sailing in midair, once again time having slowed down due to the adrenaline you had pumping under your skin, but rolled away once more as guns shot off, bullet flying toward the demon. You hit the ground a little harder than intended, accidentally pounding your head the wrong way against the dirt and making your teeth chatter as your jaw slammed shut. 

With a howl and scream the demon dissipated, burning away from this world, vanishing from thin air. A shaky breath you hadn't known you needed was drawn from your lips and you closed your eyes, thanking whomever was responsible for getting the others there when they had. Your body slumped in the release of the tension you had held, its movements more sore and natural, coming down from the adrenaline rush you'd received prior to the death of the demon.

“Are you alright?” Yukio called and you opened your eyes to see him leaning over you, scanning you for any immediate injuries. 

“Yeah...Just a few minor injuries...Nothing more than a few scratches- I hope.” you sighed and took the hand he offered you to help you stand. “I'm glad you got here when you did...I'm not sure what would have happened...”

The frown on your face was heavy and now that you'd realized what happened, you felt embarrassed. You'd just come face to face with a demon and were frozen in place...You hadn't even really tried to defend yourself! Your mind had gone blank and everything you learned had been thrown out the window..

You could have died...

“Come on, lets get you checked out and then we'll ask about what happened...” you didn't pay attention to who was talking now, your head hurt too much for you to focus, and let them lead you wherever. 

Disappointed in yourself at your own stupidity, you barely payed attention to what anyone was saying now and instead tried to focus on what happened. The demon...It had stopped, you were sure of it...

 

~

 

“And follow the light...” the doctor instructed and you obeyed, following the light he flashed in your eyes. “Hmm, well, it seems you've suffered a minor concussion..Its nothing major however, by the looks of it. Some rest will do you good.” 

“Thanks..” you muttered and looked back at your hands as the man turned away from you. You hadn't paid much attention to who it was..but now that you think about it..

You glanced up, feeling dizzy and slow as you did so, to find none other than Yukio having nursed you, his face intent and serious as he put his tools away. Oh, that's right. He was the one who led you to your room and patched you up.

“Yukio...Yukio.” you called, forcing yourself to focus on what happened. You had to tell someone, you had to tell them so you could remember later..

“Hm?” 

“The demon, Yukio...It stopped. Not by itself...like it was frozen. It..It stopped, Yukio...”

“Wow, that concussion might be worse than I thought..You need to get some sleep, (Name)...You should be alright to sleep here, I brought you to your room but its best not to be moved with a concussion and focusing will be hard for at least a few hours. School will have to wait a day or so as well, just to make sure you're fully healed and healthy before your return.”

“But Yukio-” you reached out for him, the importance fading. You _had_ to tell him, why wasn't he listening? “It was stopped!”

“We can talk more about it later- there no use in trying to information with your brain still rattled...Don't worry, alright? Once you're feeling better-”

“No, you don't understand-” you sighed, but it was already a mute point. Your focus was fading and he knew it just as well as you did.

“Look, I promise I'll listen and help you work through it tomorrow...But for now you need sleep. You're no good to tell your story if you can't even focus on it...So rest.”

“...You're right...” you nodded and laid back down, pulling the blankets around you. “Sleep is good...”

“Goodnight, (Name)...” you heard Yukio chuckle before you drifted away from reality and into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just imagine Mephisto asking someone to teach him how to draw...I mean, he did say he enjoyed creativity after all and seeing as his skills...Well, lets just assume he's a bit rusty and this is a good opportunity for him! :D 
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated and I'd love to hear what you have to say!
> 
> Have a wonderful day :)
> 
> -
> 
> Viri


	4. Right on Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad dreams and revelations- served at the best of times!

**Chapter Four: “Right on Time”**  
~

“Dear Amaimon...Did you see how she handled the demon?”

Amaimon watched monotonously, eying his brother as he paced back and forth 

“She _stopped_ it. I hope you were watching~ A very important turn of events took place right before our very eyes.”

“Does this mean she's awoken?”

“We shall wait and see...But I have a wonderful feeling her potential is just started to be revealed..And we haven't even seen half of it yet!” Mephisto chuckled and stirred his tea, glancing at the picture given to him by (Name). Her talents with drawing were impressive but what had happened earlier was truly a natural set of skills.

_'Talented indeed...'_

~

_Screaming. Pain._

_A voice called out in the darkness, weak and frail._

_“Why?”_

_“Mom?” you cried out, searching the darkness as you scrambled over objects piled all around you. You couldn't see what they were, but they were oddly soft and shaped differently than tables or chairs...But you knew you were in your house._

_“Why did you do this, (Name)? I thought...I thought you loved me.” your mother sobbed softly and you saw a door open just an inch, letting a thin string of light in the dark room._

_“Mom, I do!” you protested, worry laced in your voice as you sprinted toward the door- only to have it blown open and disappear. Instead the light grew and the room you were in was visible now. It was your old living room- but piles of your mothers dead body were laid everywhere. Blood oozed from some clones, limbs torn off of others. Your eyes widened in fear and your body shook with disbelief. Your knees buckled beneath you and slammed on the hard wood floor, the sound dulled out by the piles of bodies taking up the floor. “Oh my god...”_

_“I thought you were human!” your mothers voice yelled, the air around you becoming sharp and harmful. You slumped over in defeat as you sobbed, your tears turning to blood as soon as they hit the floor, pooling with the massive amount already there._

_A shadow loomed over you and as you glanced up slowly to see it, you came face to face with your mother- frozen in place with a look of pure terror sewn on her face. Her eyes flashed with red and boiled with anger, her skin simmering and bubbling as she let out another scream. It shattered your hearing, but you felt her voice a thousand times over, tearing through your own skin as she was being torn apart. Her body started to burst from the impact, pieces of her separated from this world and beyond. The echos of her scream bouncing back from different planes of existence, her death repeated and thrown back to this reality until she complete burst into nothingness, blood splattering everywhere._

_With shaky movements and tears flooding down your cheeks you looked at your hands. They were red and ripe with your mothers blood, her eyes resting in your palms and staring back up at you, fury still burning in their glass domes. They grew in size until they were they were the size of a large window- and their color had faded into gray. Shifting once more before your eyes, you glanced back at the mirrors they had changed into- and the monster you'd become._

_Covered in blood, your hair had fallen down and was dripping with the liquid. Your eyes burned with fire and the pupils split into a star shape. Your nails grew about two inches, becoming sharp and black, your teeth were now all sharp and your ears were longer, pointed. Your skin flickered with smoke and a tail had sprouted from your back, the long coiling appendage half your size and then some, with fur at the tip- covered in blood as well. You wanted to scream, wanted to get out of your skin- this monster wasn't you!_

_A hand reached up from behind you and from the darkness rose your mothers dead and bloodied corpse. Her smirk was wide and devilish, her eyes pouring out tears of blackened blood._

_“You belong to the darkness now...For the blood is the wine of man **and you have taken your first drink.** ” she cackled and more hands reached up from the darkness to claw at you. _

_They differed in shapes and colors and structures, but each one tore at your skin and yanked you further into the shadows as your mothers own hands plunged to into her chest and clawed her way to her heart, pulling out the beating organ before your very eyes. She raised it above your head and towards your mouth, her smile infernal with an impure joy, the blood running down from her body bursting into purple flames and spreading to her still beating heart. Her hand brought the heart to your mouth._

_“ ** _Bite._** ” she demanded and before you could decline, hands reached to your mouth and forced it open. She shoved the heart in your mouth and you tried to scream- but the hands forced your jaw to move and you tore the muscle with your teeth. Terrified, you tried to scream, but were unable to as you swallowed the piece you'd bitten off, the flames still licking up the heart and the piece traveling down your esophagus. It burned your body and spread through your veins until you too were engulfed in the fire, the hands burning away and leaving you in the air, nothing else holding you up. _

_You started to fall head first toward the ground as it shimmered into a pool of blood and dove into the rippling liquid. The flames diffused as you were dragged down, hands yanking at your limbs as you tried to fight them- but to no avail as you were pulled to the bottom, drowning in the pool. Your consciousness tried to fight to stay awake, to keep breathing, to keep moving- but it was too late. Your body had been changed and now, just as your mother had said;_

_**You belonged to the darkness.** _

_“AAAAAAAAAA-”_

The night awaited you as you bolted up in bed, gasping for air as your eyes flew open to see the darkness around you. In a hurried fashion you turned on the light and looked at your hands, feeling and scanning your body for any signs of what you had just witnessed- but you found nothing in return.

“Damn nightmare...” you sighed and panted, your chest heaving up and down from the rush of fear.  
Not wanting to loose the dream, you scrambled for your sketch book. You had to get the imagery down, you had to record it. You could decode it later on, but for now you needed to have a memory of it- and soon you had created a pencil drawing of exactly it was you had saw. The shading was particularly good- if you could say such about your own work- and on the back you scribbled more, tinier images of parts of the dream. The words you heard spoken you wrote quickly to match the scenes and you held the paper away from you to admire it.

It was sickening to look at...

Tucking the picture under your mattress, you laid back down on your bed and turned out the light, your eyes locked in the darkness.

“I can’t believe I had that dream again...” you muttered and allowed you to pity yourself for only a moment, “Its been months since its happened...” 

Months...Now that you think of it, hadn't it been a while since you'd been here? Since your mothers..

Yeah, It had. Strange, if seemed as time grew, thoughts of her faded. Memories turned to vacant empty air within your head- not that you'd forgotten, though! You remembered! You just..Thought of her less and less. Which wasn't a bad thing- at least, that's you told yourself- it meant you were moving on..

But could you really move on? Could you really just abandon all thoughts of her? Sure, what had happened had been- you stopped as her voice echoed in your mind, her cries for help. Why had you ignored her? You could have helped her... You could have prevented-

No.

Her actions were of her own accord. Anything you could have tried to do would have been in vain. It wasn't your fault. You had done nothing wrong...

“It isn't my fault...” you sobbed and air raked through your lungs as you gasped for oxygen, shaking your head quickly and pressing your palms to your temples. “Dammit, it isn't my fault!”

 

Calming your nerves, you hummed yourself to sleep. You had plenty of time to sleep in still and it was a weekend so you'd at least have some free time to spare...Maybe you'd even spend it with Rin or Yukio-

Yukio...Right.

The memory of your conversation with him resurfaced in your mind and you sighed. 

_“It probably was just adrenaline- or your concussion...There's no way a demon can be stopped, at least not how you described it.” Yukio assured, “I wouldn't worry about it, though. Stuff like that can happen in times of trauma...”_

He was right. Its the only thing it could be- a mix of adrenaline and a concussion. There was no way a demon could just be stopped like that- it was crazy to think it ever was.

 

~

 

Amaimon turned the doorknob leisurely, strolling into the room casually.

Hmmm...He wasn't sure what he expected, but this wasn't it. It was oddly...Normal. He guessed that the daughter of Mephisto would at least be a little more extravagant -or even exotic, if he would go so far to say such about his brother. But no, it just looked like a regular room- save for the drawing supplies lying about on the desk and the other miscellaneous items of interest strewn about the simple room. 

Amaimon perused the drawings with mild interest, rolling a lollipop in his mouth as his dull glaucous eyes traced the shading and fine lines. They were interesting and predominantly amusing- he hadn't known she'd had the ability to create such works of art. It was as if looking at pieces of who she was, learning a little bit about (Name) piece by piece. 

Turning his attentions to the other ares of the room, Amaimon searched around, picking up some manga books here and there and leafing through the pages. His fingers trailed across the desk and bed frame, imaging (Name) sitting at the desk doing work- which instantly bore him. He popped another lollipop in his mouth as he turned to the bed, noticing the corner of a paper sticking out from the bottom of the mattress. 

Curious, he pulled the paper out to find another drawing, one much, _much_ different from the others he'd seen. It actually was...Captivating.

Spellbound by the image, Amaimon held onto it, studying it with great fascination. He read the scrawls of sentences three times over, his deep teal eyes shinning with jubilation. Brother would be very pleased to see that this had come from his daughter. Combined with what had happened the other day this was undoubtedly the sign he'd been searching for- if he was looking for reassurance. 

Absorbed in the drawing, Amaimon drank in the sight of the picture once more. It was almost an exact depiction of home- Gehenna- and he could hardly hide his growing intrigue. He nibbled on his thumb nail, the long black keratin chipping slightly from the force of Amaimon's sharp teeth.

The paper pinched tightly between his fingers, the demon king stood and gave the room another sweep with his eyes. A glow that hadn't been there before seemed to appear and he could have swore he was observing a completely different room. Something had changed.

Giving up on trying to figure out what was different, the Earth King moved on, lifting up the mattress a little bit more to double check he wasn't missing anything. Amaimon's eyes examined the space once more. After all, if one drawing was there, shouldn't there be others? It was a very similar to a game of hide and seek- but the pictures with the most compelling content were hidden by someone instead of that person hiding... Sure enough, two other drawings lay in wait for him and quickly he picked them up. One was of moderate entertainment, a self portrait of (Name) with hands constricting her sight and holding her back as two different sets of hands covered her mouth and ears, her skin covered by numbers and arrows- very much resembling clocks. Amaimon analyzed it for a moment longer, deciding it fit in the same category with the other picture.

The last picture, however, peaked his curiosity only slightly. It was a picture of a woman who resembled (Name) slightly, but it wasn't at all like the other pictures. Instead, in this drawing, the woman was grinning in the middle of a field, happiness emitting from the way she stood and smiled. It was only half finished, though, and seemed like it was missing something...But Amaimon couldn't think of what exactly it lacked. 

Bored of the image, he tucked it back under the mattress and faced the room once more. With more incentive to explore he did a more extensive sweep of the room, piecing together a profile for (Name) in his mind as he rummaged through her things. She was definitely more stimulating than he'd guessed at first...He made a note to express this thought to Mephisto and cast one more glance at the room before leaving- the two drawings secure in his hands. 

~

 

“Hey, (Name)! Over here!” 

Turning to see Rin waving at you, you smiled and jogged over happily. “Hey! Thanks for meeting me here!” you cheered happily, waving to the others as well.

“Not a problem. Its nice to get away for a day of fun sometimes.” Konekomaru beamed, smiling happily.

“Especially with friends!” Sheimi added and you nodded, turning toward the big amusement park- subtly named Mephy Land. 

“Errr...Mephy Land?” you asked, your eyebrow twitching slightly.

“Well, since we're not allowed to leave True Cross town, its one of the only places that can provide a lot of fun in one spot.” Yukio smiled gently and you shrugged, eventually nodding. 

“True, true...”

“Come on, what are we waiting for? Lets get going!” Rin pushed and started toward the park.

Jogging to keep up with him, you watched as he and the others smiled and talked- conversing with each other and you as well...It was strange..You never really had friends, but now that you did you had to admit it was a wonderful feeling! These people cared about you and you cared about them. They enjoyed talking to you and sharing things with you and made room for you in their busy schedules...It was a new feeling, to be accepted without any conditions. 

A little teary eyed, you flashed them a big smile. They would never know how important they were to you- or how much you truly appreciated and cared for them...Without even knowing you were half demon, they accepted you. Without stipulations they had allowed you into their hearts and shared the warmth of friendship and platonic love with you...

There was no greater feeling in the world.

' _If only you could see this now, Mom..._ ' you thought to yourself happily. 

A flash of the nightmare you'd been having crossed your mind, but you pushed it away. No, it was time for happiness, not sadness...And especially not that nightmare.

Rin turned grabbed your and Sheimi's hands and you grabbed Ryuji's as he started to pull you all through the gates. “Lets get going! Come on, come on, come on!”

“Hey slow down!” Ryuji growled.

“Ahahaha! This is gonna' be so fun!” Shima cheered, attaching himself and Konekomaru to Ryuji.

“You're so impatient!” you giggled but made no protest, glancing back at Yukio- who was laughing as well.

“He's always gotten a little overexcited about things like this.”

 

Oh yeah, they're both half demon. The sons of Satan.

Sheimi and the others had accepted them and they were still friends- would the same apply to you if they were told about your family? You only spared it the briefest of thoughts, not wanting to risk accidentally letting it slip- seeing as how it ended last time- but that didn't stop you from wondering. What was one more half demon to a group? You weren't dangerous, that much was clear. The only thing it would change would be their outlook on Mephisto...Would his reputation really be so jaded if others found out he had a daughter? What was the big deal? So what if a few people knew? It wasn't like someone was trying to kill you. 

Shaking off the thought, you sighed and looked at your friends as you all sat in a Ferris Wheel carriage- realizing that Yukio had turned to you and had started to speak.

“Oh, yeah, (Name) I've been meaning to ask about the other day.”

“Hm?” 

“The other day, the demon incident, why did you show up with Sir Pheles?”

“Oh, yeah, that was weird...He's never done something like that before. Were you being questioned or something?” Ryuji chimed in, raising an eyebrow. “I can't imagine him actually being near any student for a long period of time.”

Uh oh...What were you supposed to say? You couldn't tell them you were grounded- that would just sound stupid and unbelievable...But Mephisto hadn't told you what to say to others! And from the looks of it, they hadn't asked him...

Panic swam through your bones and you scrambled for an answer before they realized your hesitation. Giving a nervous chuckle you waved your hand in the air in a dismissive manner, “We were just discussing some test results is all, in the other high school.”

“Oh..That's odd.” Yukio frowned in thought.

“It had something to do with some messed up transcripts and other stuff. Nothing big.” you assured with a smile, hoping they couldn't sense the unease in posture.

If any of them had, they didn't show it. The topic slipped by and you eased your shoulders a bit. That was pretty close...

Damn, why didn't Mephisto think those stupid things through? You mean, sure, you had pushed him to let you go so it was half your fault, but what had he told the teachers that had come to see him while you were there? 'She's in Detention'?! He could have at least gave you a cover story..

But seeing as he released you from your punishment earlier than planned, you didn't want to bring it up with him. You were grateful he had lifted your grounding, allowing you to spend time with friends..But to be honest, you kind of missed having dinner with him and talking a little here and there. Not that you'd ever tell him that, that is. If he knew that you were sure you'd never live it down...

“Where should we go next?”

~

 

“...And that's what I learned about (Name).” Amaimon said calmly, sitting on the table in Mephisto's office as he unwrapped a piece of candy. His eyes shifted to his brother in wonder as the other man perused the drawings with great attention. 

“What would I do without a brother like you?” Mephisto smirked contently, his fingertips grazing lightly over the pencil drawn lines. 

“Thank you. There was another picture, but it wasn't finished and not as interesting as the others.” Amaimon remarked and when Mephisto cast a glance his way, he strolled over to the chair across from his brothers desk. 

“How so?” he asked, his eyes sharp with a peculiar gleam. Another picture? It didn't matter if it wasn't up to Amaimon's tastes, he just needed to see what she'd been hiding..

Ever since he felt the quivering of her powers beginning to whisper around her, Mephisto had been curious. He could sense its presence but knowing the stage of its development was something only (Name) could tell him and he doubted she could even guess what was going on. He almost pitied her...To be locked away from a world born into your veins, to never know of a heritage connected to you, just laying in wait beneath your skin...To anyone else, all those lost years would have been torture! Fate could be cruel at times..

Nonetheless, these pictures and written detail about them had been the evidence he'd been searching for, yet hearing the loss of potential knowledge had summoned up fractions of annoyance within him. He'd asked for anything that could be useful- or that she could be hiding. Typically, anyone else would have picked through her room with a fine toothed comb until they found the hidden treasures, and brought back every one no matter personal interest. Amaimon, however, was obviously different. The things that interested him were the things he would pick up- and in a time like this, Mephisto was thankful his interest in the girl was a prominent and constant occurrence. It had brought him these photos, after all...

“It had a picture of a woman that looked very much like (Name) drawn it. She looked very happy, but these pictures were more appealing. The first one reminds me very much of Gehenna.” Amaimon shrugged and glanced down at the pictures, the beginnings of his entrancement swirling in the back of his mind. His thoughts began to fuzz out of coherency and wander about, the roots of his anxiousness growing deeper into the earth of his mind. 

“Indeed it does...” Mephisto rested his chin in his hand and read the words once more. This was more than he thought he would receive for an answer. It seemed this time Amaimon's interest was for the best, as the other picture described would have been a waste of time to look at. “If I could take a guess, I'd imagine she's had her first look into the homeland itself, brother. Or dare I suggest that she traveled to it! Either way she's had a glimpse of what she will soon become- And I am positive this won't be the last glimpse she'll have... Fufufu.”

“Travel to Gehenna? How could she?”

“Not fully, but once you open a door its very hard to close. Consider this her taking a peek~!”

“What will you do about her now?” teal eyes met the green stages of constant calculations, the gears in Mephisto's head turning as he pondered in silence. He couldn't hide his smile and it grew as the shadows on his face danced.

“I'm not sure..This game started unpredictable and it remains to be a mystery~! Each step is taken with infinite opportunities tied to fate. The game still establishes an engrossing set of qualities I can't tear myself away from and I find myself lusting after the next set of surprises. Who knew it would turn out to be such a captivating presentation of fates own twisted set of entertainment? If I had slain her before we would have never gotten to this wondrous adventure!” Mephisto chuckled mirthfully, his own interest peaking further as he took another glance to the grotesque pictures. Even if he hadn't guessed it would turn out like this, he couldn't hide his excitement! Such things never came about in daily life and in all his years he never truly expected to have so many fractions of the game played into his hand. 

The sons of Satan, His own daughter...What could possibly make this any better?

 

~

**One Month Later:**

 

_“Sir Pheles wants to see you after class, (Name). Don't forget to stop by and see him.”_

_“What does he want?”_

_“I'm not sure, but it sounded important so I'd get to him as soon as possible.”_

 

Important? What could really be so important...? You hadn't said a word about him being your father to anyone and you hadn't done anything worthy of getting detention...Perhaps this was about some kind of exorcist test? Or maybe about your allowance? 

Whatever it was, you couldn't deny you were the tiniest bit excited to get to see Mephisto again. You'd really begun to enjoy his company- but only sometimes- you wouldn't allow yourself to admit any further enjoyment. 

However, it was a little difficult to see him when he wasn't in his office..Where had he gone? 

“Gah, this was just like last time when I was chasing him around the school.” you stopped. The last time you'd been trying to find him he'd ended up in your room. This time was a little different, but it couldn't hurt to check there before going to his personal quarters. 

You paused at your door, your hand hovering over the knob. It was a little strange for him to come here, but at the mention of 'importance' and then him not being in his office...This could only really mean something personally important, right? Was it some kind of family crisis? 

Having had fought enough with yourself, you opened the door and walked in to find everything the way you left it- and Mephisto sitting at your desk with some of your manga books in his hands.

Upon your entrance, he turned his gaze toward the door and gave an expectant smile, his green eyes glimmered with the hint of delight. 

“I do hope I'm not becoming predictable~” he joked, setting the book down and resting his head on his hand.

You kicked off your shoes and shrugged, “Nah, I just know how to read you now.” you said smugly, tossing your bag beside your bead as you brushed past him.

“You went to my office first, didn't you?”

“No!” 

“If you say so~” Mephisto laughed and sighed, shaking his purple haired head, “What am I to do with you? Lying, rejecting, deceiving...I'm almost proud~!”

You cast a weary glance his way, studying his face as he laughed. It didn't seem completely unnatural for him to laugh like that but you could have sworn there was something different. Something about the way he closed his eyes and beamed at everyone with those sharp teeth- something about the way his shoulders shook with each rumble of chuckles and the way his skin crinkled near his eyes and mouth. The folds of his clothing adjusting as he almost bounced in his seat with glee- you could see it but you couldn't name it...It was just...Something new. A new part of Mephisto being revealed to you piece by piece, shown only behind closed doors and in private...

You got the sense not many got to see this part of him, that not many knew how joyous he could be, the positive and welcome company he brought with him...It made you happy to share this time with him.

“Ah well, lets not sully this good mood, hm?” Mephisto took a deep breath and sighed contently, his head rising as he recovered from his laughing fit. His intense emerald eyes met yours with curiosity and his smile turned softer. “How have you been?”

Having not really expected this question, you thought for a moment. How had you been? 

Honestly you'd been more than a little affected by the occurring nightmares, but had that really ruined your overall mood- Errrr you really couldn't deny that..But did you want to tell Mephisto that? You guessed he would be able to tell you were lying if you said 'fine' but telling him that something was bothering you seemed like you were complaining- which you weren't...

“I...Overall, I guess I'm okay.” you shrugged, eying him as he listened to you speak. If it was possible, you could have guessed he looked distant..But the fervent determination that spiked the amusement in his eyes told you that you were far from the truth. “Uh, how about you?” 

“I've been well. Busy, but that goes without saying...How have you been sleeping?”

“What?” 

How had you been sleeping? What did he mean by that? Did...Did he know?

“I say what I mean....You know, (Name), I've read the reports from the teachers about the demon attack you got dragged into. I even felt it first hand. Its not every day someone is able to wield abilities similar to mine..Oh, don't play coy, it isn't befitting of you, dearest.” Mephisto chuckled and stood, walking over to you and bending down to your height. 

“I...You don't mean...” 

He couldn't possibly be suggesting what you thought he was, could he?

“That demon being stopped. Its body frozen and unmoving, just long enough for you to get away...Are you really so naive to think that it was a result of your brain misconceiving the situation? A concussion? Don't make me laugh,” he simpered, his eyes glowing with a power that echoed through your bones, an unknown emotion swirling into your skin, “It was you.” 

His face devoured in dark amusement, you squirmed under his gaze. It..It couldn't be. No. Yukio had said it wasn't- and you hadn't gained anything from him! You did not have demonic powers- how many times did you have to tell him?!

What had happened had been a result of your brain seeing things differently- an altered state of consciousness-

But...It had...Stopped.

“M-Me? But, it couldn't be-I-I didn't...I couldn't of...” you rambled but trailed off. He'd just told you that it was you...But..Could you really have...? “How...How would it have stopped? That's not...Not a normal demon power...Not that I'm saying I do have them! But if I were too- that..That is not one that I could obtain-” you grasped at the coat tails of your thoughts as they swirled into a deeper consciousness than you were able to follow. 

“You're right, its not.” Mephisto agreed and his eyes darkened with a menacing look. “Have you forgotten whom you're speaking with?”

Your brows furrowed in confusion. No...You hadn't forgotten. He was Mephisto-

Oh.

Time and Space.

Demon King.

Right.

 

“Samael.” your voice was hallow, a susurration. 

His devilish grin cast a layer of ice under your skin, making it crawl with goosebumps, anxious to shed and flee. You'd felt this before- but it wasn't fear. No, far from it. It was the sense- the recognition of power. It radiated from his skin, wafting from his soul like the salty air from the sea- cloaking him in intangible ways. 

“It's a power under my jurisdiction and since you are part of me, you were able to do a variation of some of my abilities.” he shifted where he stood, the movement screaming authority, his feet set apart at just the right angles, “What you did was called a time pocket- it was only held for a very short period time, of course, due to your lack of training with such abilities. But out of your own sheer willpower you were able to trap that demon inside one.”

He smirked and turned your face to look him in the eye. “Now, what was it that you said when I asked about anything strange having happened to you in your life? Oh, yes, I remember! It was _'I haven't been tainted by your heritage or 'blessed' with gifts of darkness.'_ wasn't it? Looks like you were wrong~”

His fingertips brushed down your cheek to your chin, admiration swimming faintly in the shimmering dark green forests that were his eyes. His gaze demanded your attention, your captivation soon swallowed up in his dark humored stare, his fingers causing shivers in your skin. 

What was this? Your skin felt constricting, your body anticipating shedding itself as you shivered, his featherlight touch entrancing you. Your mind spun as your vision brightened, your eyes darting across the room rapidly as you started to notice details that hadn't been there before. The soft strands of Mephisto's hair and the way the royal purple framed his pale face, creating a more dramatic look. The shadows that often danced on his face as he calculated his next move..His smirk and his sharp canine teeth that poked through when he did such..

“There...Now isn't that better?” he asked softly, his hand falling from your face after he tucked some stray strands of your hair behind you ear.

“Uh...” you thought for a moment, getting a feel for what he meant...Did _what_ feel better? You focused on your body, how it felt, its temperature, the way your chest rose and feel as you breathed...

But nothing came to mind.

“I...I guess...My vision is more...” you stopped, unable to find the words you were trying to say.

“Your eyes seem more open, don't they?” he simpered down at you, standing back up straight and walking back towards the desk. With a snap of his fingers his hat and cape were gone- and you had been brought into his office.

“Yeah, everything is a lot clearer.” you agreed, blinking up at him through your eyelashes, curious. “What did you do?”

“Nothing special. You were struggling in your human born body, which was why you were having difficulty with the awakening of your powers. Your body could not contain them- as a human body would consider the Gehenna gifts foreign due to the opposing natures... It had been affecting your mind and your life was shortening drastically due to the imbalance.”

“My life was- What?” you asked, eyebrows shooting up in shock. “Wha- How and why?”

“It happens to any demon kin not born in Gehenna. Their demonic characteristics that make them the demons they are cannot simply be contained in a human body- their lives quickly disintegrate before them, usually starting with the mind. It occurs in different ways, all dependent on the person- but nightmares are occurring symptoms that seem to be a pattern...”

Your skin shivered with ice, your blood turning to frost as his words hit your ears. Fear slithered into your nerves and your stomach nearly drained itself at the thought.

Nightmares...That would make sense...You've had quite a few in the past months, but they had started to become more prominent in your sleep nowadays..Could that mean...

“I...I've been having nightmares...” you whispered and gulped, eyes locked on the floor as you slumped onto your bed. 

_How close had you come to dying...?_

“Demons who know how to look for such key signs can see them. They're called signatures and the unborn- those demons born in Assiah- who give them off can be traced by such significant clues. I had a feeling you had been one of those cases so I had been specifically looking for the signs- and hearing you've had nightmares is just the icing on the cake~!” he grinned but you couldn't share in his happiness.

“I could have died! Why did you tell me sooner? I-” you glared, standing up with a new found strength.

“ _I never would have let that happen._ ” 

You weren't sure what it was exactly that diffused your anger, but the tone of his voice and the absoluteness in his words..It was calming and assuring and your heart pattered inside your chest from the way his eyes peered into yours, his soul brushing against yours intangibly. In that moment, when he said those words, he was no longer just Mephisto and the both of you didn't exist in Assiah- you didn't exist anywhere but your own little world. Power rung in that voice of his, the confidence shaking through your bones as took a sharp breath, your lungs suddenly aching for air.

“I...Right.” you whispered and sat back down on the bed.

“How bad were the nightmares...?” he asked softly, swiftly taking a seat in your desk chair again and crossing his legs.

You rattled your brain for an explanation. How would you explain them to him? The words died in your throat and the quivering of your spine wouldn't allow you to simply _tell_ him...

Your drawings! 

Having never shown anyone, you hesitated, but decided showing him was for the best- he was, after all, helping you.

“I..I have some drawings...” you reached under the mattress quickly and pulled out the first two photos you'd slipped under it. The most recent one with your mother and the other one you'd recorded- with three sets of hands covering your eyes, mouth and ears. Without a second glance you passed them to him and let him study them, avoiding his gaze as he did. You forced away your blush, but the jitters of having someone else see such works made you queasy and uncomfortable. 

“Exactly as I thought...” he muttered and passed them back. “I'm glad I caught it in time then. When a human body cannot contain the demonic powers one can possess, it will start its process of breaking down- which is only common knowledge, of course. Your brain had been showcasing its need to change and grow- that form you'd taken on in the dream with the blood was proof enough..I will note that your ability to work some of the powers whilst unchanged is remarkable. You're strength is greater than you thought.” 

Setting the drawings back, you glanced up at him as he talked, a needy look in your eyes. “I..What will happen to me now? Will I still decay or...?”

“The decaying is over, dearest.” he assured, flashing that gentle smile once more, “But now you'll need to learn to control your powers and work with them- otherwise you'll be devoured completely.”

“Out of the pan and into the fire....” you heaved a heavy sigh but nodded. “Alright. So how do I do that?”

“About that...I will need to incorporate you into my daily schedule now for training- as these abilities of yours are under my jurisdiction- but I cannot simply train you by myself. You need someone who you will either match strength with and eventually overpass- but stronger for the moment so they can take your practice sparring. Fortunately, I have just the person in mind! He's a brother of mine and I'm sure you've heard about him here and there...As one of the Eight Demon Kings.”

“You're going to have a Demon King train with me?” you exclaimed, leaning forward in disbelief. Was he serious? Sure, you were half demon and these powers would make you stronger- but no exorcist could take on one of the kings alone! Not even those of lower ranks!

“Have you forgotten who I am already?” he chuckled and you thought for a minute before shrinking back.

“Oh...Right.”

“Don't worry~ I'll be there as well to help you. But before you meet him we may need to get you a safety net of sorts.” he tilted his head to the side in thought, scanning you without really looking at you- more through your body as he tapped his chin. 

“A safety net?” you asked and gave him an odd look, your eyebrows knitting together in confusion. 

“Rin Okumura, son of Satan and one of your friends, has a safety net all his own..His sword contains his powers, but as he came of age it could not hold them all. When his powers first awoke, he too was able to use some of the power he inherited in his human body. It changed due to having a small increments brought into it at a time- and the sword greatly helps with that...You however do not have a sword and have only just awoken. Your abilities existed in your body all at once instead of locked in an object- but such could possible change shortly. If I can find an object you have an affinity for and are able to use, I would be able to seal your gifts in it until you will be fully capable to contain them on your own.”

Shifting your gaze to the window, you thought in silence for a moment. You had an affinity for drawing, but that wasn't anything useful for fighting with- and was kind of ridiculous if you would allow yourself to admit such a thing...What else could you use...? A sword was out of the question. A gun you couldn't really understand how it would work...

 

“I have no idea.” you said dejectedly after a long while to think.

“Well then...I'm sure it'll come to mind eventually.” Mephisto stood swiftly and snapped his fingers, his cape and hat appearing on his body once more, umbrella in hand. His other hand spun your desk chair around once before he tucked it back in its place and turned to you, holding his hand out. “Come now, a walk will do us both some good.”

Sparing no time for thought, you placed your hand in his and beamed up at him happily. 

“Fresh air would be fantastic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for the lesser quality...I don't feel I really lived up to what you all have come to expect of this story. :C 
> 
> I am deeply sorry. Hopefully I can improve on the upcoming chapters. 
> 
> -  
> Viri


	5. Chapter Five: "Timing is Everything"

**Chapter Five: “Timing is Everything”**

 

The walk was filled with mindless conversation, the both of you ambling about the grounds of True Cross Town. Preferring to keep to the more scenic routes, you strayed away from the hustle and bustle of the city and instead steered towards the higher up parks. 

The view was more magnificent than you expected and the gusts of air were delightful on such a hot evening. Summer was approaching and as the spring danced off into the sunset with each day, the warmth loomed in the air. The sky was vast and open, nearly crystal clear if it weren't for the storm clouds quickly approaching the town. 

“Looks like rain.” you pointed, eying the puffy clouds of gray dismay above you with a frown. Rain wasn't all that bad, but you were enjoying yourself outside.

“Dear me...Indeed it does.” Mephisto followed your gaze and a tiny smile crept on his face. “No matter, we should return soon anyhow, unless we plan on missing our meeting.” 

Mephisto turned swiftly just as the first drops of rain hit the ground with the warning of more on its way. The sky that had been a juicy red previously was now dampened with the gray clouds and it was hard to fight off the frown appearing on your face. It'd been a good, nice, relaxing time up until now..You didn't really have to worry about anything- and now the rain had come to dampen your spirits...Literally.

Without warning the rain begun to pour down and you huffed loudly, holding your backpack to your chest tightly. Great! Just what you needed.

You glanced up to curse the rain about to strike you- but the cloudy sky was soon blocked from your view by a bright pink umbrella. Quickly you turned to see Mephisto holding it over your head, simpering towards you with a radiance in his eyes you couldn't name. He chuckled lightly and focused back toward the door you had now reached, pulling out a key and opening it up to his office. 

“Now come along. Our guest will be here any moment.” he ushered you forward and you blushed lightly. 

“Thanks....Did you use the school key?” you asked, itching to change the topic to rid yourself of your blush.

“Of sorts~!” Mephisto chuckled and shut the door behind himself, snapping his fingers and making his cape, hat and umbrella disappear instantly. 

You walked over to one of the chairs facing his desk and sat, looking around for anyone else in the room..No one was here yet..

“Which of the Demon Kings am I meeting?”

“Relax! We're not always aggressive, my dear. You can loosen up.” he giggled and you puffed your cheeks up in frustration. It wasn't that you were scared! You were just anxious! Not everyday did you learn about special abilities you had and meeting someone who would help you train them!

“I didn't say that! I-” you protest but the knowing look from Mephisto shivered you into silence. 

“Oh?” Mephisto turned his gaze to one of the shadowed areas of his office as he sat in his chair, the smile growing. “Dearest brother, we've been expecting you.”

Mephisto waved a clawed hand, gesturing towards the shadows. You turned your gaze to see a glimmer of teal eyes shinning back at you, a bored expression glued to the persons face as they came to the light. It was a rather tall man, slender and thin in size. He wore an odd outfit of a deteriorating jacket with bones and skulls on it, green arm warmers, polka dotted pants- objects of clothing similar to Mephisto that you didn't care to glance further. His hair, however, was two shades of green, with the lighter color at the top in a spike. A lollipop hung from his lips and you studied him a little longer before turning to Mephisto- who was watching you.

“(Name), Meet Amaimon, The Demon King of Earth.”

“A-Amaimon?” you gasped, turning toward the youngish looking boy again. He took the lollipop out of his mouth for a minute and nodded towards you.

“Nice to meet you.”

“I-”

“Amaimon, this is my daughter I've spoken to you about, (Name). Your niece of sorts.”

The green haired boy known as Amaimon nodded, walking to the chair next to you and flopping down unceremoniously, his feet dangling over the side carelessly. 

He tipped his head back at you and studied your blushing face, his fingers twirling the lollipop in his mouth in thought. “Hmmm....She doesn't look like you.”

“So we've discovered.” Mephisto brushed off and Amaimon turned his gaze toward him, giving you a moment to compose yourself.

What was wrong with you?! You'd never lost control over yourself like that before...But his face and the way his eyes studied you made you want to cover up. They scanned through you like your skin was translucent and poured straight into your mind...Not to mention he was quite handsome...Gah, what were you thinking?! He was your uncle!

Needless to say you didn't like it one bit.

“(Name)'s powers have awoken and she's quite chaotic, having just newly gained them. We've been discussing the idea of locking her powers in a weapon or object of sorts- much like Rin has- until she can fully handle them. We've found nothing yet, but I'd like to get that done before anything else takes place...We wouldn't want anyone hurt, now would we?”

“...I see.” Amaimon sighed and glanced back at you and almost immediately your limbs tensed at his gaze. 

You could feel it. Those eyes touring your skin, searching your soul..He could see into your blood, into your mind, reading every bit of you he pleased. Not to mention those masked eyes...They sent shivers up your spine just thinking of them! They barely allowed emotion to pass their mask, yet you could almost feel his interest radiating off of him. 

“What can she do?” his smooth voice asked, linked with curiosity. 

“She put a demon in a time pocket for a few seconds- purely out of accident- but it was enough time for her to move out of danger.”

 

“I plan on having her spar with you from time to time, as you're aware, to help her fighting abilities..As for what she can and cannot use, I'm not sure. Its a field still undiscovered- but her potential is outstanding~!”

“Can it wait a bit?”

“There's no hurry. We should let her settle into this new feeling- it has only been a while after all. If we start now she'll only be stunted further into her human tendencies. And having just met you, I'd imagine she's shy- and adorably so~” Mephisto chuckled and your eyebrow twitched as you whipped your head up to glare at him.

“I am not!”

“...A spitfire?”

“Ohoho, Indeed~!”

“Sh-Shut your mouth!” you hissed and glanced away, hiding your face behind your hair.

“(Name) your rudeness will not be tolerated. He has agreed to help and you scaring him off-”

“She should be fun to play with.”

 

Your eyes widened and your blush deepened, your cheeks flaring with red as you bit your lip. Was this guy for real?

“She's turned red.” 

You turned towards the boy to find him peering up at you, his hand reaching and turning your face with his long slender fingers. He studied you for a longer moment as you froze locked in his gaze.

“(Name) you should go rest...It's been a long day for you.” Mephisto sighed and you nodded reluctantly.

There was no hiding that you were thankful to be excused and your haste in leaving his office was more than enough a sign for both men to notice. 

With you gone, Mephisto chuckled and shook his head. His own brother, making his kin blush like that...Humans could be so adorable~

“Enchanting, isn't she? So sheepish and human...” he sighed contently, raising his eye toward Amaimon.

Amaimons eyes were on the door where (Name) had escaped- his attentions far from his brothers words. That girl...That human born female...It was as if she was a giant mystery, full of interesting thoughts and movements- the patterns of her thoughts dying to be picked apart. 

“Amaimon, are you even listening?” Mephisto growled, his eyebrow twitching with annoyance.

“Hm? Yes.” Amaimon turned his head back to face his brother, an idea floating in his mind.

“....What is it?” Mephisto sighed heavily. He knew that look in his brothers eyes, the one that only came about when he was engrossed in a thought or an idea... Could (Name) have really peaked his interest that much? It didn't seem typical for him to be so easily entranced...What had he decided about that girl so suddenly? Surely everything he'd learned about her from snooping in her room was enough for him to understand the circumstances...Or perhaps it wasn't enough for his pleasure? “Are you unsatisfied with what you've learned?”

“Hm?” Amaimon turned back toward his brother, having been looking at the door again. “Sorry, I wasn't paying attention...What did you say?”

Mephisto glowered at Amaimon before his own eyes flickered with a new found idea. “Well...If she's captured your attentions this much already, why don't you go after her?”

“You're letting me follow her?” Amaimon asked, his ears perking up and his full attention on Mephisto, excitement burning through his features.

“Go on, follow her until you're content~!” Mephisto chuckled, “But the same rules before still stand...Don't hurt her or anyone else, no 'playing' with anyone...And behave. We can't have you running around ill-mannered, now can we?” Mephisto grinned as he watched Amaimon scramble for the door.

“Thank you, Brother.” 

“Oh, Amaimon?” Mephisto asked, resting his head on his hand as he leaned forward on his desk with interest.

Amaimon turned impatiently, hand outstretched toward the knob half way. His eyes were colored with anxiousness and his body tensed with anticipation. “Yes?”

“You will follow the rules this time, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Good...Alright then, off you go-” Mephisto sighed and chuckled, glancing at the door but Amaimon was already gone.

_'What an impatient brother... This should be quite entertaining, though...'_   
~

 

You sighed and stretched as you flopped onto your bed, yawning shortly after. It had been a tiring day, though you couldn't quite remember doing anything too taxing...Maybe it was just your body getting used to the changes. Yeah, that had to be it. 

A shiver raked through your body and you felt a jolt of ice slid down your spine. Jolting up, you glanced around, suddenly paranoid as you felt your skin crawl...Was someone...Watching you? 

It felt like eyes were locked onto your skin, recording each breath, each twitch of your body...But you were alone in your room, you were sure of it. Still...

“H-Hello?” you called out, “Mephisto, is that you?”

 

_No answer._

 

Maybe it was just you...

“Just...Lack of sleep is all.” you assured yourself and lifted the covers as you slid into bed. “The nightmares should be over though...So maybe I'll sleep better now..”

You turned away from your window, unease settling into your mind as you averted your eyes. Even though you'd closed the curtains and drew the blinds...You didn't like the feel they were giving off right now- even if it was just you being paranoid from lack of sleep. 

Deciding to sleep before you tricked yourself into staying up, you quickly closed your eyes and blocked out the thoughts of paranoia. Nothing was there- you knew it- and there was no reason to be so..Frightened. 

 

**A Few Days Later:**

It had been a few days since you had felt like you were being watched...Even in school you felt as if someones eyes were burning into your skin, slipping into your bones with just a glance...But every time you looked around you found nothing..

Even if someone _was_ watching you- which you weren't saying was true- couldn't they at least let you sleep? It was rude to just watch someone all day and make them have an anxiety attack enough as it is...Sleep should be something sacred! 

…

“Dammit.” you huffed, rolling over with annoyance. Now that you were suspicious, you _had_ to check...Just to make sure no one was there. It didn't matter that you were on the fifth floor- you still had to check! You'd done so for the past few nights...Of course, you found nothing, but it had become a habit now. 

You drew back the blinds to reveal the dark sky and illuminated city waiting for your gaze. The bright lights of the streets and buildings shone proudly and you scanned from left to right, finding nothing but True Cross Town and the academy in your line of sight...

Whew...Just like you thought...

 

“Why do you do that?” a calm voice asked from behind you.

“WHAT THE HELL?” you yelped, turning around quickly, your heart nearly leaping out of your throat at what you saw.

There, leisurely lounging on your bed as if he had been there for hours, was no one other than the Demon King of Earth, Amaimon. He absentmindedly twirled a lollipop in his mouth, his fingers pinching the paper stick. His teal eyes bore up at you from where he lay, his body strewn about your covers, his head handing over the edge of the bed. 

He was still clothed in his usual attire, his black leather boots, his polka dotted pants, green arm and leg warmers, a khaki vest, short sleeved striped shirt and tie..His usual ripped jacket no where in sight. 

“I-I-What are you doing here?” you demanded, backing away from your bed in shock. When had he gotten there?! You _knew_ he hadn't been there before- you were just in your bed! And what did he mean 'what do you do that?' ?! Had he been the one watching you?

“Watching you.” Amaimon stated, rolling off the bed and standing.

“Wha-Why?” you demanded, annoyance taking over your facial features. 

Amaimon shrugged, “I was bored.”

“I-You were stalking me because you were bored?” the disbelief in your voice was too massive to contain. 

“I never said I was stalking you. Just watching you.” 

“Its the same thing!” you hissed, “And very creepy!” 

Amaimon shrugged again and stood in front of you now, lollipop swirling around his tongue.

…

 

“So you're just going to stand there...And watch me...?” you growled, letting your hair fall in front of your face as you looked at the ground. You needed to hide your reddening face...He couldn't know how embarrassed you were...

“Not if you're as boring as this.” he sighed and tilted his head to the side, one hand reaching towards your face.

“Don't touch me!” you slapped his hand away and brushed past him. “Look, I'm not your personal entertainment- go bother Mephisto for something to do. I need to go to sleep.”

“No.”

“No?” you turned your head, anger boiling up.

“I don't want to.”

“Why you...Look, you can't stay here while I sleep!”

“I have before.”

“You- You WHAT?!”

“If you keep yelling, other people will come.” he sighed.

“ _ **Get out!**_ ”

 

~

**Much, Much Later:**

“Try again.”

“But I've done it six thousand times!” you groaned.

“Then try another six thousand.” Mephisto deadpanned, setting his teacup down on the saucer. 

Mephisto had been sitting in a floating chair while you tried to stop the objects he'd fling at you.

It wasn't turning out so well.

“By the time I'm done I'll be covered in bruises...” you muttered just as a toy hit you with a smack in the face. “Gah!”

“Don't loose focus.” 

A chuckle from the floating onlooker was all you needed to snap.

“Wasn't I suppose to get some fucking handicap?!”

“We couldn't find one, if you recall.”

“I think I kind of need it now!” you rumbled, throwing your hands in front of your friends to prevent more damage from the oncoming objects.

A heavy sigh emitted from the man in the chair and with a snap the objects fell to the ground, now lifeless. He leaped down from his seat and brushed his hands together, walking over to you. “You're being extremely difficult. If you had the ability you wouldn't _need_ a handicap.” 

“Well I'm not you! I wasn't born into that world.” you spat bitterly.

“Perhaps, brother, its time she gets _those_.” Amaimon piped up from the sidelines, waltzing over with his hand stuffed in a candy filled pocket.

“No. She's not ready.” 

“She could be.”

“Amaimon.” Mephisto warned, an icy glare cast toward the King of Earth.

“What are 'those'? What am I not ready for...?”

“Everything.” Mephisto sighed and began to walk away, snapping his fingers to disperse of the mess. “Training is over for now. Go home and relax if you so wish.”

With that he was gone, leaving you and Amaimon standing watching the empty path he had taken.

“What doesn't he think I'm ready for?” you asked, turning to Amaimon curiously. 

“The Hands of Time.” the green haired demon king shrugged, offering you some candy.

You declined, shaking your head. “Nah....What are the Hands of Time?”

“Swords.”

“Swords? Then why doesn't he think I'm ready?! Hell, at this point I could learn from Rin!” you growled. 

What the hell was Mephisto waiting for?! If you just told Rin or Yukio they could help you learn to control your powers! You could get them under a handle...Well...You guess you could understand his point...You kind of needed powers to control before you asked for help. Yours hadn't shown up since you fought that ghoul and Mephisto had helped you adjust to the gifts.

Amaimon shrugged and walked beside you as you started toward your room. The two you had gotten to know each other a little better over training- and honestly he wasn't that bad! He was a little childish at times, but who wasn't? Considering he was Mephisto's brother you weren't sure why you expected anything differently...

“Brother most likely wants to make sure you have powers before handing those to you.”

“Why? Are they super special?” you mocked but Amaimon missed the sarcasm in your voice.

“Yes.”

“Hm.”

Maybe you should just quit training then...It didn't seem like it was helping much at all! If you had no powers there was no point to this..

“I'll see you later, Amaimon.” you sighed as you approached the school grounds. The teal eyed boy cast a wondering glance at you in response. “Or something. I'm not sure I'll train anymore...”

There was no response and you didn't turn back to check he was still there. What did it matter? He couldn't help you until you showed some actual ability.

What if it was never there in the first place? Could you and Mephisto really have read it so wrong? Sure, you had the nightmares, but it was only that one time. 

Lethargic, you shuffled into your room mindlessly, throwing yourself on your bed in defeat. W  
Why did it have to be so difficult?! Why couldn't you just use your gifts like you had when that demon attacked you? 

' _Maybe it was all used up. With what happened to Mom and all that stuff...Maybe I had a limit.._ ' you thought and sighed.

Or maybe you just had to wait for the right time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...Ok, so I'm not the best at writing Amaimon, but this whole story is pretty much just practice for me so this is an improvement. I didn't have much time to edit and proof read with this one as I did the others so I let a friend of mine beta-read it and it checked out so I guess I'll just post it and leave it at that.
> 
> Ah well. I tried. 
> 
> -  
> Viri


	6. The Right Time

**Chapter Six: “The Right Time”**

 

School buzzed by. Cram school buzzed by. Life seemed to slip from your fingers as you found yourself lost in your own mind. Powers? Abilities? What were those? You clearly didn't have them. This was all just a waste.

_Yes. A waste._

None of it was worth your time. You were useless anyways.

_Worthless. Useless._

“-me)! For fucks sakes listen!” a yell pierced through your ear drums and you jumped out of your seat, blinking in surprise. 

“Uh, yes?”

“We've been trying to talk to you for the last forty minutes, you bimbo!” Bon hissed, slamming his fist down on your desk. “Are you deaf or something?”

“Heh..Or something.” you gave a fake, weary smile. “Erm. What did you need?”

“We have a mission to go to...But if you're not feeling well you can stay here.”

Stay here? That would probably be best...But what good were you here? You wouldn't be much help there either, but at least you'd be near your friends..Maybe you'd come back out more normal. 

Maybe you'd come back acting more like a human.

 

“Oh? Nah, I'm fine! Just a little dazed is all. I'll go.” you smiled and quickly followed after the others as they started to walk and talk.

~

 

_“You need to get out of this daze you've locked yourself in.” Mephisto sighed, irritation starting to conquer his features._

_“What daze?” you muttered. “I'm fine.”_

_“Delude yourself if you must, but remember that living in such a state is asking for trouble.”_

 

Daze? Sure you'd been distracted lately, but you wouldn't really count it as a daze... 

You had forgotten what the mission was about almost as soon as you set off with your group. It couldn't be too terribly important- you were just a bunch of exwires still. What had been the mission again? Something with demons, obviously. But you knew you had something to do...

 

“Watch out!” someone screamed but as you glanced up, it was too late. “Demon attack!”

Just as you had snapped back to your surroundings a foot had made acquaintances with your face- the bottom of a black leather boot imprinted on your face. 

“Ow!” you groaned and picked yourself up from where you had been launched into the ground. 

Standing up, irritation finally coloring your features you came face to face with unforgettable teal eyes and their signature stoic expression. 

“What the hell, Amaimon?!” you hissed, rubbing your face as you pouted, “That hurt dammit -mphg!”

Amaimon had pulled back his arm and let it go, socking you in the mouth mid sentence. You staggered back and snapped your gaze back to him, bewildered. What the hell was he doing?

His shin came into contact with your stomach and you bent over in pain. Okay, that time you were sure he broke something- and you were more than sure your stomach had cracked your spine from the force. 

“Stop it!” you hissed and tried to hit him back- but before your fist could make contact with his body, he disappeared again. You were pushed forward into the ground, your face smashed into the dirt as his knees dug into your back. 

What the hell was he doing?! Had he fucking flipped his marbles or something?! Why was he beating you up?

You rolled away from his grasp before he could hurt you again- and you quickly searched his eyes to find them guarded as per usual. He leaped toward you and you jumped out of his reach once more, your body throbbing with the pain already caused.

“Whats your problem?! What do you want from me?!” you snapped, dodging him once more.

“Fight back.”

“You want me to fight you?!” you asked, flabbergasted. 

There was no way in hell you could ever match his power level! You were just a plain human and he was a demon king! What in the blue night was he thinking?!

“Yes.” he stated as if it was natural and wound another few punches, landing them in your abdomen.

You tripped and flipped backwards, smacking your head against a few stray logs and rocks along the way.

With a spinning head you attempted to get up, but your brain had been rattled too much and the messages to move never made it to your limbs. 

Amaimon leaned over you and dug his boot into your side, his fists plotting to rearrange your face as he wound his arms back. 

With a flash you caught his fist and shoved back, kicking him away from you with a vengeance. The adrenaline had kicked in and you stood shakily, panting.

“L-Look. I'm not sure who put you up to this...But knock it off.” you growled.

“That was the plan.” Amaimon deadpanned and leaped toward you once more, his fingers grasping for you as he pounced.

“I said to STOP IT!” you howled and leaped towards him as well, the pain and burning spreading all over your body as you smacked into his body, slamming him into the grass and your fists raining down on him. 

Amaimon was able to dodge a few here and there and he kicked you off- but you bounced right back and pounced toward him- your fingers gripping the collar of his coat and using all the strength you possessed to slam him into the earth.

“I! Said! STOP!” you screamed and flung his body down, your body melting from the temperature of your anger, your bones turning to liquid as you existed solely on the fumes of fury.

 

Amaimon picked himself up from the ground with a smile, laughing as you approached him.

“Yes! Hahaha!” he cheered and a dangerous growl emitted from your body as you sprinted towards him, feet pounding against the ground with a force that shook the trees around you

“A-Mai-MON!”

You wound up a punch and jumped, landing the fist in his face and sending him flying back, bouncing off a tree and into the floor of the forest.

“YAAAAAY!” he called out, standing quickly and lunging toward you with a big grin.

“FUCKING STOP!” you shrieked and threw your hands in the air, grasping at whatever was above you and pulling it down to hit Amaimon with.

 

Of all the things you expected to end up in your hands, a pair of swords was not it. At the time, too angry to pay attention, you ignored the blades that slashed across Amaimon- but you had noticed that he had stopped in midair.

A wide grin was planted on his face as if his image was captured in a photo, but as you landed on the ground and he hadn't, you stopped to gawk. 

Just like before with the ghoul demon, Amaimon was frozen, a circle shimmering around him for a brief moment before it vanished and he fell to the ground- landing with a thud.

As soon as the Demon King made contact with the ground before you, his body dissipated and turned to smoke, leaving no trail or imprint in the earth.  
“What the...A doppelganger?!” you stood, confused by the sudden disappearance and you quickly glanced at your hands- finally realizing the blades they held. 

In your hands were red handled blades, one made of a black material and scrawled with white numbers and the other was made of white and written on in black numbers. It took you a minute as you glanced around. Where had these come from-OH WAIT.

Twin blades. Numbers. Black. White. Red.

The Hands of Time.

But when had you gotten these?

 

“What...” you touched your face gently, letting your fingers trail down your cheek. When you pulled it away to check- you found it glistening with blood. “I...”

You turned your hand over and over again, your eyes moving from the blood to the glowing white circles beneath your palms, located on your wrists. What...What in the...

 

You must have run out of adrenaline- or maybe you'd been stuck by pure shock- but either way you had begun to fuzz out of consciousness and collapse to the floor- your hands dropping the blades as you were unable to hold onto reality any further. 

 

~

 

Bright white flashed in your eyes as you opened them- the light of day pouring into your gaze as you came back to consciousness.   
Pain flooded into your brain and you groaned immediately, sitting up as your stomach lurched in protest. Ouch...When did you...Oh. _Right._

“A marvelous show, dearest (Name)~” a joyful voice called and you turned your gaze to find Mephisto sitting by your bed, his purple gloved hands folded neatly in his lap.

“What...” you started, but stopped as you remembered the fight. “You...You're the bastard that told him to fight me?!”

“More or less. I used an illusion of sorts to make you think it was him. You were in a daze- and thus had locked away your abilities. I had to think of some way to coax them out of you~” Mephisto chortled and you snorted, laying back down in anger.

“Then why are you here? Did you get what you wanted?”

“Have you really forgotten the highlights of your performance? Tsk,tsk.”

“Highlights? Performance? What was that, some kind of show for you?!”

“Yes~!”

“I should have guessed...” you sighed and turned on your side to watch him as he reached toward you. 

You were too tired to slap his hand away and as he grabbed your hand gently, flipping it over to reveal the underside of your wrist, you stared at it in wonder. 

Yeah. Those things.

“You pulled the Hands of Time from thin air and sealed them in your wrists. You froze Amaimon in mid air- and even regenerated from the wounds he gave you- but you'll still feel the pain.” he released your wrist as you sat up again, your fingers brushing over the now blackened lines.

You'd really done it..

You'd not only fought against Amaimon- er, the Amaimon doppelganger- but you summoned the Hands of Time. 

“I..” you started, but stopped as you let your wrists fall, your gaze turning toward Mephisto. “I guess I understand what you were trying to do..But don't you think there could have been other ways?!” you hissed and he chuckled.

“None of those 'other' ways were as entertaining as this one~”

“Stupid jester..” you muttered.

“Hmm..The others did see the blades, but none of them laid an eye on your abilities. I've withdrawn you from the mission temporarily- depending on how you'll feel...”

How did you feel? Relieved, in a sense...A little bit achy. Definitely sore. 

_And happy._

 

You met his gaze as he sighed and gave a small smile, reaching towards him as a blush crept on your face. “Can I...Uh....Have a hug?”

Mephisto grinned and yanked you out of your bed, his arms wrapping around you gently. You followed suit and buried your face in his chest, breathing in sightly at the comfort and feel of this caress. Hmm..He was nice and warm- his heartbeat slow and steady- and he smelled off cotton candy...

“Mephisto-” you started but stopped as you looked up to find him staring down at you admiringly. 

Your heart pounded hard against your ribs, your face lit aflame as you met his glistening green eyes. Their captivating glance and the way he studied your soul through your eyes, grasping at your soul it made you feel-

Uh oh.

“Brfg- ugh, hang on!” you pulled yourself away from his arms and ran toward the bathrooms, emptying out your stomach contents. Ugh...How hard had Amaimon kicked you?

You froze, thinking of Mephisto. What..What was this feeling? You felt...Fuzzy...It was probably because you were feeling sick. Yeah. That had to be it. It was odd because you hadn't been sick in ages!

“Errg.” you groaned as your stomach demanded a rematch as you bent over to vomit once more.

~

 

As (Name) slept, Mephisto crept out of the room and toward his office. The one he was waiting for was already there, stuffing his hand in a bag of chips as he watched the night pass in the city. He stood with his back to the door- but he didn't turn to know it was his brother. 

“Well done, Amaimon.” Mephisto complemented, patting the green haired demon on the back lightly. “I truly don't know what I would do without a brother like you..”

“Thank you.” Amaimon nodded and glanced at Mephisto, “What do we do now?”

“Now? Now we wait...She's got to train a bit here and there- and now that the others have seen her work with the swords, I think she'll be able to do a little bit more with the other exwires. This should save you some time and strength.”

“...That was fun. I want to play with her another time.” Amaimon noted, the bag of chips crumbling in his hands as he thought of the fight. He hadn't even got scratched but still..That was the most fun he'd had in a while. 

“She's still young Amaimon,” Mephisto reminded, “Playing too rough with her could break her.”

“I'll be careful.”

Be careful?

_Be. Careful?_

Mephisto held his rage and tongue, knowing this was not the time and place. In truth, Mephisto couldn't help but feel a bit protective over (Name). For a while now he'd found himself admiring certain features she obtained, or thinking about the way her lips crinkled when she smiled- the ever hidden sharp canines peeking out as she laughed. The way her hair spun around her like a veil of silk as she danced through the air. The way her voice sounded when she spoke, the way her lips curved around the sounds when she sung his name- the soft velvet motions caressing the noise with the utmost gentleness. It was as if she was cushioning the words, preparing them for the world with softness that was sickeningly sweet. It made him weak when she spoke his name- weak with amazement and wonder- as if she were a magnet opposite him. There was no denying he was attracted- in more ways than one-

Mephisto stopped himself, calming his quickening heart and the rage boiling deep beneath it. Amaimon needn't know his feelings...

He'd speculated that his borderline attraction was more than a father should feel, but knowing what he knew, he tried to fight it. Humans view this wrong and surely he couldn't convince her- human born and raised- the rightness in the situation. 

After all, a demons heart was his greatest weakness and the pain from possible rejection would surely put Mephisto in a state of weakness. 

“You'll wait until I say you can.” Mephisto sighed sternly, turning away from the window and to his desk, where unfinished paper work lay in wait for his attention. “I need you to leave now. I have work to do.”

Amaimon turned away and towards the door, casting a glance at his brother one last time as he stopped, a thoughtful look burned into his eyes.

“Yes?” Mephisto glanced up.

“I was just wondering when you were going to fulfill that promise-”

“Yes, yes. Fine. We'll take care of that now.” Mephisto sighed and stood from his seat, grabbing his umbrella along the way. “It's been something I've needed to look into anyways...”

With that, the brothers walked out of the office and into the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah these titles are getting cheesier. And I'm getting busier! Please excuse OOCness if there happens to be a contradiction with how you see a character portrayed! I do not have all the time in the world to fix characters and have done the best of my ability to portray them in the way I see them- and as everyone can have opposing views, it's only natural that some would disagree.   
> Thank you for taking your time to read this story! I hope you have a wonderful day
> 
> \- Viri


	7. Time To Kill

**Chapter Seven: “Time to Kill”**

**A Month or so Later:**

 

“Over there!” 

“Got it!” you called back and jumped toward the ghoul demon, swords in hand as you slashed it to bits. Recently you had been taught alongside Rin to sword fight and you were still a bit wobbly here and there- but you were getting better! You even got to be more useful on missions like this! Fighting demons alongside your friends was actually a little more fun than you thought you should be having..

 

You picked off one more demon as you focused, trying to remember some of the techniques you'd learned. It was getting easier now. Use a technique, aim it at a demon. Use a technique, aim it at a demon. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

“Alright that's all of them!” you called back and made your way over to the others.

“Awesome!”

“Did we really get all of them?”

“Did anyone get hurt? Go see Sheimi if you were!” 

You glanced around, beaming at everyone. It was a bit of a rush- being able to use your strength like that and help. Not to mention add a few more training times under your belt! You'd even begun to be proud of yourself~!

You glanced at the area around your little group, eying the forest area with interest. Teal flashed from that direction and your smile grew, knowing exactly who and what it was.

You had a visitor. 

“I'm going to go over there and walk around for a bit. Call me when its time for food!” you called back and Yukio nodded, checking over the other students for injuries. 

None of them knew about your demonic abilities still, but even if you had gotten hurt it would have been regenerated by now- so looking for injuries wasn't something you needed to do.

Nonetheless, you walked over towards the teal eyes, making sure to stay out of the sight of the others as you found yourself in a small area- big enough for two people to talk. 

“Amaimon?” you called, glancing around with a small smile, “I saw you here..What did you need?”

No answer. 

“Amaimon..?”

 

A flash appeared in the shadows before you and you sighed, rolling your eyes. “What did you need? I don't have much time to waste here..” you sighed, but stopped as you focused on the eyes. The teal shifted to a deep lavender and you reached for your blades slowly, watching as the eyes drew nearer.

“Who are you and what do you want?” you asked quietly, trying to pump as much force into your voice as possible.

The lavender eyes stopped at the end of the shadows, peering at you with a guarded emotion. You could just barely make out the image of a figure, their movements fluid but graceful and slow as they took one step out and slowly revealed themselves.

You weren't sure who it was, but the young woman that stood before you was oddly striking. Her hair was long and blonde, curling, tinted with purple the closer it got to her skin. She was pale and of a medium build, her body hidden under a plain outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. She didn't look all that hostile- but the look on her face and the aura she cast was a different story.

“How strange. You call out to a false king. His blood does not run through your veins and yet you expected him...And then there is the case of you wielding those,” she eyed the blades you had grabbed now, your demonic form showing up as you touched them, “Which are not weapons of the Earth King.”

“What- how do you know that?” you glared, tensing up as you gripped the handles of the blades. “Are you a demon?”

“Are you?” she asked and studied you for a minute, her eyes narrowing. 

“I asked you first.” you demanded and the girl remained silent, instead she reached upward toward behind her to her neck and started to walk towards you as she pulled out something you would have never expected.

From her back she pulled what looked like a modified bullwhip made of light and bones, the three long strands adorned with what appeared to be vertebrate, the clacking and clicking of the bones reminding you of wooden wind chimes- but the image and sound made you shiver in place. What was she wielding? Not that you thought it could do much to you or take on your swords- but accompanied by her odd silence you didn't like the feeling anything about her was giving off.

You gripped your swords tighter, prepping for a fight. Whoever and whatever she was, you'd have to make sure not to get near here or that creepy whip. Or let the others see you.

A glance was spared for the camp area a little ways away and you tensed again. What was this chick after? 

“You'll have to forgive me. My manners aren't the best when it comes matters such as this.” the girl said calmly, her voice composed and collecting, “Its nice to meet you but I'm afraid this will be a short lived meeting. I won't be staying long.”

“You say that but with the way I see it, I'm don't think this is a 'nice' meeting...” you objected and eyed her cautiously as she took a step closer.

“How unfortunate...Ah well, we all interpret things differently, I suppose.” she shrugged and continued to advance toward you. 

You raised your sword, readying a strike of crossing blades- but as the attack hit her head on, she shattered like a broken mirror. The pieces fell and bounced of the ground- the fractions of light dissipating as they fell into the shadows.

“What the-” you started but couldn't finish your sentence as you were pinned to the ground- a giant being of light had begun to drop miniature stars down on your body.

Rolling quickly away, you panicked. What the hell were these things?!

“(Name)?! Whats going on?” Yukio yelled as he approached, his gun drawn. He took one look at the tiny being of light and gasped, his teal eyes going wide. “ _Seraphim..Get back!_ ” he cried out, pointing up as he reached for you- his hand just barely grazing yours as you were struck with one of the falling stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the super long delay, it's been quite a few hectic months for me. Nonetheless, this took way longer than anticipated to complete. I had a few quarrels with myself about it but I decided to take a chance and post it anyways. 
> 
> In the end, I've finally decided on posting what I had originally intended for this fic and that's what I'm going to do. I hope you enjoy it. If you don't, well, I guess I should still thank you for your time!!
> 
> I'm sorry it's so short. The next chapter will hopefully be longer.
> 
> Watch out for falling stars!
> 
> As always, thanks for the feedback and your time :)
> 
> -Viri


	8. Times Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A not so secret comes as a not so surprise.

How long were you supposed to sleep? This had to be typical for anyone with an injury. Sleep was good. Sleep was one of the best things for those who were hurt. Still..

 

Mephisto found himself on edge waiting for you to wake up. What had happened in that forest was known only by you now- and you weren't awake to tell him who was responsible for this..Weren't awake to tell him who had hurt you..

 

' _Hurt_ ' The Demon King of Time nearly chocked on the word in his mind, a throbbing pain tied to it as he thought it, the depths of despair brought up at the utterance.

 

Someone had hurt one of the humans he cared for greatly. More over, it wasn't just any human- in fact only half human- but you.

 

 _You_. The girl Mephisto had been entranced by. The one who drew, the one who always had a snarky remark to amuse him.

 

He glanced once more at the bed you lay in, your face painted with a deep slumber, free of the pain from earlier. His bare hand brushed against your face, his knuckles sweeping down your cheek, the featherlight touch almost too much for him. The ghost of pain raged through his chest and he struggled to breathe.

 

A tiny smile weaved its way onto his face and he glanced down at your sleeping face with a distant look in his eyes. Even standing here, looking down at you, he felt miles away. His hand caressed your face once more, needing to double check that you were still there, still tangible. Living proof that he was here today, standing over your wounded body and not in a nightmare, not locked away in a slumber of his own.

 

With a sigh he sat in the chair he always did when he visited you in your room. He waited in the silence and darkness until you stirred to consciousness, your eyes opening half way to see him sitting there.

 

“You're awake...You shouldn't be...Go back to sleep.”

 

“M-Mephisto..” you breathed, unable to say much else as you gasped for air, your lungs burning as you did such.

 

Your face crumbled into a wince of pain and Mephisto sighed, shaking his head with a small, unreadable, tight smile on his face that he knew you couldn't see. “Don't do that, dearest. You barely walked away with your life.”

 

“I..I'm sorry.” you mumbled, trying to move towards him, the weight of the blankets too much for your frail body as you tried to sit up. “Mephis-”

 

“Lay down.” Mephisto ordered, gently patting your shoulder back down. You complied for only a moment.

 

“Mephisto...I...I'm...Sorry...” tears started to stream down your dry face and you panted with a loss of energy, your body unable to take even the tiniest pressure. That didn't stop you however and you continued to try and move. “I...I lost... I-”

 

You broke off into a fit of coughing and tried to move again, but Mephisto wasn't having it as he leaned down closer to you, his fingers just barely touching you as his fingertips down your face to your shoulders and settled you back down. “You're not going to stay in there unless I'm there, are you?” he sighed heavily, but shrugged off his coat and gloves, kicking off his boots as well as he sat down on the soft bed. He peeled back the covers and slipped in beside you, his arm draping over your body as you turned to face him, but at least it held you in place.

 

“You don't have anything to be sorry for....Just sleep, darling..” Mephisto whispered, resting his chin on your head softly.

 

For someone so damaged and hurt...How could you be so soft and warm? It just didn't make sense...You shouldn't be as comfortable as you were..Not that he was complaining, though. In fact, Mephisto quite enjoyed your softness..

 

“But...What can I...offer you now...?” you whispered and Mephisto shook his head with a chuckle, pressing a finger to your lips to silence you.

 

 

 

 

 

“ _What you always have. The most precious gift of all...Your time_.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Mephisto...”

 

 

“Shhhh....Sleep.”

 

You fell back asleep somehow, feeling secure enough in both your and Mephisto's actions to let slumber reclaim you and Mephisto sighed, listening to each breath you took, each murmur of words as you drifted off to your dreams. He wondered if you dreamed of him at all. Now that the nightmares were gone, what did you dream of? Did you picture a more peaceful life, before he stepped into your life? Or did you dream of how your life would end up here?

 

With such a peaceful look on your face, he wondered what peace you saw in your sleep. Not that it mattered, dreams were just dreams, but the curiosity was still freshly brewing within him. Did you have pleasant dreams? Were they chaotic? Did you dream of your friends...?

 

Speaking of your friends, the group of people quickly approaching your room had made enough noise now that he could hear them coming. Seeing as how difficult it was for you earlier, you couldn't accept visitors now! You needed sleep! How dare they come and think you would have recovered enough to be able to speak.

 

Mephisto sighed and quietly slipped out of the bed, making sure you were still asleep before he exited the room. He stood in front of your door with crossed arms and a stern look on his face- his eyes playing up the sly amusement they usually did as the students approached.

 

“Ah! Mephsito!” Rin called, dashing toward the tall man impatiently. “Is (Name) well enough to be seen right now?”

 

“No.”

 

“No? But- then why are you here?” Rin asked, his eyes flickering with wonder, narrowing slightly.

 

“I am the head of the Japan branch! Why wouldn't I be here?” he sighed, a small smile on his lips as he peered down at the rest of the students. “A student was attacked- her injuries must be observed by the doctor and the head for a full report. Now, my dear students, you'll get to see her later. For now, let her rest.”

 

Mephisto shooed them off, listening briefly to their conversation in case they questioned him being there. None of them seemed to- but he noted to check later as well. He slipped back into the room silently and his gaze fell on your sleeping form, the peaceful look fading as you reached out into the empty space.

 

Not wanting you to wake up, he slipped back in beside you. His arms formed a soft cage for your body and you leaned closer, falling into a deeper sleep now that you had been assured with his touch.

 

Oh (Name)...You didn't know half of what he thought of you..You didn't even know half of what he knew about you and your feelings..

 

But he knew you could never handle knowing. At least, not now. Perhaps he would wait a little while longer, when you would be more fit to balance everything evenly. He couldn't prance around spewing out all his secrets like a demon with a death wish. Especially not the secrets that had to do with matters of a certain organ.

 

After all, a demons heart is its greatest weakness.

 

 

~

 

 

 

“Her weapons were lost when she was attacked by the demon. A Seraphim. I'm sure of it.” Yukio assured, standing before Mephisto's desk.

 

“Seraphim...I guess with the war, this is to be expected.” Mephisto sighed and laced his fingers together anxiously as he leaned forward. “Well then, I guess we'll just put the report under the ever growing file for the war.”

 

“Consider it done.” Yukio nodded, pushing his glasses up as he remained before the desk. Typically, this was where he walked away and bid Mephisto a good night but he had a question pertaining to the aforementioned report. There was something he noticed, that hadn't been there previously, right before (Name) got hurt by the Seraphim.

 

She'd looked a lot like a demon. A tail. Pointed ears.

 

Why hadn't he noticed it before? He almost scolded himself- but looking at the whole situation as it stood in the light- and adding the demon form of (Name)..It couldn't be ignored.

 

 

“Is there something else you wish to speak about?” Mephisto finally asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

Oh no. This wasn't about what he thought it was, was it? He'd assumed that his answer had been good enough, but Yukio wasn't quite like the others, now was he? He, having been a genius exorcist, was sometimes a little too smart for his own good...He would do well to forget many of the things he sees. Still..Mephisto waited patiently for his question.

 

 

“Before it hit her...I noticed she didn't look quite like she did before. Maybe it was the light and maybe it was just the flash of shock I got from the suddenness of the situation- but I'd say she looked an awful lot like a demon...Would I be wrong?”

 

“I won't deny you the truth as I know it, so you wouldn't be incorrect.” Mephisto gave a patient smile and sighed. He was thankful this was about a less threatening matter, at least, in some ways. “But I think such a secret is best kept by less people. Wouldn't you agree?”

 

“You have my word, I won't say anything to anyone else.” Yukio glanced up carefully, his teal eyes shimmering with honesty. “I was just wondering if you knew what parent of hers she gained such abilities from...For reference, of course.”

 

Ah, there it was. The burning question.

 

“If I had the faintest clue I would be sure to tell you. However, such is not the case and I know nothing. Her case is very similar to your and your brothers, actually. Except with this I know nothing of her heritage...”

 

“So I'd be smart to leave this out of the report, wouldn't I?”

 

“You really couldn't see much, could you? With such a bright light...War is a difficult, Mr. Okumura. This surprise attack was unexpected and sudden.”

 

“Of course. I'm just glad no other students were hurt.” Yukio nodded and turned. “I'll be sure to note the blinding light of the Seraphim in my report..It was hard to see anything at all.”

 

“Have a good night, Mr. Okumura.” Mephisto smiled and leaned back in his chair as the door shut behind Yukio.

 

The situation was certainly getting more interesting...Of all things, this was a completely unexpected factor. The possibilities weren't even calculated, but a Seraphim...Perhaps this truly was an act of war.

 

“But why now, I wonder? Above all else, how could he have known?” Mephisto thought out loud, turning his chair to face the bright city at night.

 

Amaimon approached his brother from the shadows in the office, calmly standing beside him in a moment of silence.

 

“...Not everyday does someone like them show up, brother.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Perhaps you should tell her. So she won't be kept in the dark.”

 

“I don't think she's in the dark anymore, Amaimon. In fact I'm sure of the exact opposite. She's been blinded by a light so ferocious she craves the darkness.” Mephisto sighed, not glancing at his brother as he thought, “But all double meanings aside, I couldn't possibly tell her. Not now, in the least.”

 

“Do you plan to?”

 

“If I don't, will you?”

 

“...” Amaimon said nothing. It was something she should know after all, but it wasn't his place to tell, now was it? Perhaps if Mephisto never said a word, he would let it slip, but could he do that to the both of them? No matter what was interfering it was something that needed to be done... “If you don't, I will.”

 

Mephisto now cast a serious look at the lesser king, his eyes narrowing with annoyance. Surely Amaimon was joking...Had he taken that much of a shining to the girl?

 

The thought almost summoned up a growl, deep in the demons chest. How _dare_ he threaten to interfere! Did he forget who he was dealing with? Not to mention what Mephisto could do to him, the pain he could put him though-

 

 _What was he thinking?_ Already having jumped to malicious conclusions without so much as a coherent pattern of thoughts! This feeling was a demon all in itself, but he knew Amaimon was right. Eventually she would have to know- whether the information came from Mephisto or not.

 

Eventually was not now, though. It was a time for later. A time when you would be well enough to accept the information- and not recovering.

 

 

“Eventually, if I don't, you can. I doubt it will come to that, however. I have a time in mind to tell her.”

 

“Of course, Brother.”

 

With Yukio and now Amaimon, Mephisto truly felt he was running out of time. Being pressured to make moves he couldn't dream of making- by lesser beings, he might add. It was beginning to be a very tiring game he'd decided to play.

 

Yet, with everything up in the air, it was also one of the most amusing games to ever had been played. The one with the highest stakes does have the best benefits. If there were no risks, what would be the point? If there was no pressure, where would the anticipation lie?

 

' _Running out of time indeed..._ '

 

~

 

 

**Three Weeks Later:**

 

“Hey, (Name), can I ask you something?” Rin asked, scratching the back of his head as he sat on your room floor, his blushing face hidden.

 

“Shoot.” you glanced his way, your eyes careful as you watching him struggle for words.

 

“I...I noticed Mephisto is around you a lot. He's escorted you to class more than a few times, I've seen him in your room when I come to visit you...Are you two...In a...Relationship?” Rin muttered, his fingers picking at the notebook in his lap.

 

“A...A relationship?” your face heated up at the thought, but you pushed the thoughts and feelings away before you could think about it. No. Nope. No way. “No, we're not...Why would you think that?!”

 

Acting surprised wasn't hard- you genuinely were- but even still, Rin hadn't known what he was suggesting. No one knew Mephisto was your father, so the nature of his question was of innocent intent.

 

“Well I just asked cause' he's been around you a lot! It's kinda' weird to see him looming around someone so much...”

 

“He's just..Worried. Its all business, after all. The same stuff about the attack, how I'm doing, do I need psychological help....Its never anything personal.” you attempted to assure and Rin shrugged.

 

“I mean, its fine if you were in a relationship with him- that's between you two, but he's kind of...Old.”

 

' _Oh Rin, if you only you knew_.' you thought to yourself, scratching the back of your head nervously. This poor, innocent boy. How little he knew...

 

“Well, like I said, we're not. Its impersonal stuff and I can't really picture myself with him...” Really. You couldn't.

 

At all.

 

“Ah, well, lets get that mucky awkward stuff out of the way.” Rin waved his hand in the air as if to clear it, “Did you read the new manga I brought you?”

 

“I did!”

 

 

~

 

 

“Amaimon!” you cheered as you noticed the green demon appear from the corner of your room, candy in his mouth already. “It's been a while!”

 

You beamed up at him and he nodded, glancing around as the sun set over the city. “Sorry for taking so long, Brother told me you needed all the sleep you could get so I have been leaving you alone.”

 

“He worries too much.” you sighed and patted the spot beside you as you slid over. Amaimon walked over and sat down, offering you a piece of candy.

 

“What do you think of Big Brother?”

 

“I think he's a worrywart.” you chuckled and unwrapped the candy, popping it into your mouth. “Why?”

 

“That's not what I meant.” Amaimon shook his head, biting down on the lollipop in his mouth in thought. You'd almost say it was impatiently, but you couldn't be sure...He seemed uncharacteristically serious.

 

“Are you alright?” you asked, peering over to him. What was the matter with him?

 

“Do you have feelings...For him.” Amaimon asked and eyed you as he turned his head. His teal eyes pierced yours.

 

Surprised, you couldn't help but try and form words- but it proved more difficult than you expected it to be. You couldn't just outright tell Amaimon the things you'd been suppressing and chose to ignore but saying no didn't quite make you feel good..

Neither did admitting your feelings- but which was the lesser of the evils here?

 

“I-”

 

“Its okay if you don't want to answer. I was just asking.”

 

“Why...?” you asked after a long while of silence.

 

“No reason.” Amaimon shrugged and curled closer to you as he lay down beside you, throwing his arm over your legs. “Behemoth wanted to come but Big Brother said I couldn't bring him.”

 

He sure was acting strange...Why bother asking if it was okay to not answer? One thing he shared with his brother, albeit a loose fitting trait, was that he never did anything without a reason- selfish or not. You glanced down at him as your fingers ran though his hair, tracing the frame of his face as his eyes met yours again.

 

There it was. That seriousness. It was an undertone, but it was still there, sheltered behind the bored looking expression.

 

“Amaimon...”

 

He blinked up at you, “Yes?”

 

“Why would you ask..If not answering was an option?”

 

“Curiosity.”

 

“No. I've seen you when you were curious. That wasn't curiosity, that was serious...What aren't you telling me?”

 

He glanced away for a moment before he squeezed his body closer to yours, his head resting in your lap as his clawed fingers trailed up and down your legs.

 

“Don't tell brother.” he mumbled, taking the now empty stick out of his mouth.

 

“I won't.”

 

“You're not his daughter.”

 

Your hand ceased from playing with his hair for a moment, shock misting about in your body as you listened to his words. Not his daughter? What was he talking about...?

 

 

“What? Of course I am.” you shook your head. “Its not funny to joke like that..”

 

“I'm not joking.”

 

Amaimon didn't move from your lap and you pulled your hand away, shaking your head further. “I'm not sure what kind of joke you're getting at, but stop it. Its not funny.” you started to get up, but his free hand snatched your wrist, his eyes burning with intensity as he looked up at you.

 

“I am not joking.”

 

You stared at him motionlessly for a moment, unable to fully process the thoughts that were jammed in your brain.

 

' _What....? Not joking? Not his daughter? But didn't Mephisto say so himself that he was...How...I.._ '

 

“How...How do you know?” you whispered with a hoarse voice.

 

Amaimon sat up, his face leaning towards your ear as he whispered; “He never slept with your mother. I was watching when he met her.”

 

“But..No. Amaimon. How else would I be a demon if he didn't...”

 

 

 

 

“ _There are other ways_.”

 

 

 

“Other ways?”

 

 

 

“ _He taught me himself_.”

~

 

 

Mephisto thought carefully as he read over the paper work on his desk, his office silent. It had been a while now since he'd last spoken to anyone. You, Amaimon- not even a conversation with one of the Okumura's.

 

Everything had been oddly...Silent since the incident.

 

Admitting to being a bit anxious, Mephisto stood and sighed. He'd done enough paper work for today. Perhaps it was time for a break and a little visit... He whistled as he walked towards his door, readying the infinity key to transport him directly to your room.

 

Just as he was a few feet from the door, it bust wide open loudly, the slamming sound of flesh on wood worse than the sound of the wood hitting the wall.

 

“YOU.” a voice seethed and as Mephisto looked down to see you standing there, your face red with anger, he raised an eyebrow.

 

“Me?” he asked, pointing to himself. “I was actually just about to go see you. What impeccable timing-”

 

“Why didn't you tell me?” you hissed and the anger in your eyes burned behind your pupils. He swore they'd never been that dark before.

 

“My dear, I'm sure we're on different subjects and I've no idea what you're referring to.”

 

Your hand scraped across the door for the handle as you stepped away from the doorway, slamming it shut loudly as you started towards him slowly.

 

“All this time and not one damn word. All this time!” you screamed and Mephisto's eyes rose up in surprise.

 

Ah, yes, the fire that forever burned within you. It was always entertaining to see, but this time he wondered why it had been directed at him. He'd witnessed it before- with reasons behind the accusations- but what in the world had he done now?

 

“Forgive my ignorance but I still have no idea what you're talking about.” he pointed out and met your eyes fearlessly. The spark that arose from your (e/c) eyes was almost enough to make him smile with glee. How he loved the energy you so freely expressed..It truly was one of the best human traits you possessed- right along side your amazing talent to draw.

 

“You know exactly what I'm talking about!” you growled, pushing him back with the flick of your hand- or, you tried to. You didn't exactly have the raw power to move the six foot five inches man known as Mephisto. “Skipping around me in circles and lying to me! This whole damn time I believed you were my father, you flake! I fucking trusted you! I _believed_ you!”

 

Tears had started to form beneath your angry eyes, glossing over the color for a less threatening look than you were going for. If only you'd known how much he'd wanted to embrace you when you looked at him like that- the sadness and hurt from the whole world accumulating on your pretty face. Yet, he ignored the burning desire and focused on the matter at hand.

 

“I beg your pardon? What ever do you mean?”

 

“Don't toy with me like that!” you screamed and the tears had finally started to flood across your cheeks.

 

A wound was felt in a particular spot in his chest cavity at the sight, a certain organ throbbing with a need to put his arms around you, but these were two more things he ignored- as you were still screaming.

 

“- I am done being your plaything! For once just please be honest with me! It's not that hard!” you cried and Mephisto's face softened at the words, his dull green eyes loosing the gleam of amusement and taking on a more serious flicker of color.

 

“...You're right. I'm not your birth father. I won't lie.” he sighed, sitting on the table top of his desk as he spoke. “I'm sorry to have you find out like this.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was sitting before me for a long time before I could stand to post it. Well. Here it is, as perfect as it will get.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Poor Mephisto. It's tough being a...Not father...? Ah well, nevertheless. I'm sure we all feel a little bit of something for him, ya?
> 
> As always, Thank you for your time and thank you for reading!
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> \- Viri


	9. Time Heals (Almost) Everything

 

 

_“...You're right. I'm not your birth father. I won't lie.” he sighed, sitting on the table top of his desk as he spoke. “I'm sorry to have you find out like this.”_

 

You looked up to him with a wounded heart in your eyes, “How could you let me believe you were? Why even bother?” you whispered, your voice a ghost of what it had been only moments ago.

 

“...I had a deal with your mother. A bet of sorts, in an ironic way. To get what I wanted, I needed a subject to test it on. She wanted eternal youth. At the time, she'd thought she'd outsmarted me. Eternal youth for the first child she was to conceive should have been easy enough. For her to resist using her beauty to lure men into her sheets was too hard and a mistake is a mistake. One slip and if you're not careful, you've gone and added to the population...” Mephisto glanced at you with an even look, watching as you took in the information.

 

You didn't looked amused.

 

 

“And?” you asked hoarsely.

 

 

“And eventually you came to be growing inside your mother. The contract was broken and I felt it break. I visited her soon after and we talked about what she was to do. I left her some of my magic in a powdered form to take every day- as you were still developing- and warned her that she must keep you. No abortions. No hurting herself. If anything to harm you had been done she would face consequences...And when you were born, she was to continue feeding you the supplements. They would build up the demonic magic within you, tying you to Gehenna just as tightly as you were tied here, in Assiah. It changed you...Of course, it was gradual and over time but the changes did happen. The influence of the magic in your body was prominent and quite interesting to watch develop...However.. The supplements..They stopped when you were one, you had taken to the 'restatements' like a fish to water..It was a perfect transition.” Mephisto smiled for a moment and reminisced.

 

“So before I was even born you had primped me to be a demon...” you stated, the decibel levels in your voice growing as you spoke, the anger returning.

 

“Not exactly. While you had been successful in your body accepting my magic, you didn't seem to inherit any of my abilities. You were born human.”

 

“But...You said...”

 

“As you can imagine, you weren't the only one who had been tested on. I'd already had another in the works- one who had long since had exceptional potential. You were a spare tire, of sorts. A backup, to put it harshly, but just as crucial. If the other had ever failed, everything would fall on you.” Mephisto smiled and met your gaze with more seriousness, his eyes almost void of any of emotion.

 

“And they failed...Didn't they?” you asked and sat down shakily in a chair across from Mephisto.

 

“I'm actually not sure. I haven't seen them in a while. They're very hard to reach- and had a reaction similar to yours but with more outrage.” Mephisto chuckled.

 

“That still doesn't explain why you would bother with me...” you reminded, glancing up with hard eyes.

 

Mephisto sighed and took a step forward, standing up from his desk. “Is it really so hard to understand? Dear me, how innocent you are...” he approached you quickly and leaned down to meet your eyes.

 

His hand swept under your chin and raised your head so he could gaze into your eyes. He admired your face for a moment and leaned closer with a smile. “Your humanity is still your most dominating quality, (Name). I honestly couldn't let the world claim you as its own..Is it so wrong to want a piece of whats mine?”

 

“I am not yours.” you hissed and moved away from his touch.

 

 

He leaned away, glancing off to the side for a moment. “Imagine preparing a cake. Putting your blood, sweat and tears into each step, working your hardest as you painstakingly went through a grueling process. Making sure everything is perfect, everything is of the best quality...And then seeing the final product before you in all its glory. The moment of magnificence you feel is almost too much and you're dying to taste it, dying to know how perfect it is- and then being told you can never,ever touch it.”

 

 

Mephisto glanced at you behind amused eyes, the sheen of anger over your body falling slightly. He noticed he'd hit a chord and continued quickly, before your anger could flare back up.

 

“You are every bit my creation as you are your own. Of course, you are not a cake and I have not made every possible step perfect- you still experienced the world and grew up away from my influence- but please do not deny me my credit.”

 

You shifted slightly and he knew slowly your wall was being taken down. Swiftly he moved towards you again and leaned down, his face dangerously close to yours. His hands were as gentle as could be as they caressed your face. You were as delicate as glass- with sharp points and all- but fragile. A mortal. He must be careful...

 

But fighting his attraction any further would be ludicrous.

 

 

 

“No, I am not your father. I've lied. But how else would you let me into your life?” he whispered and watched your face as you formulated an answer. Your pursed lips as you tried to speak, your eyes glancing away from his. The crinkle of your skin as your eyebrows knitted together.

 

He couldn't deny himself any further. You were too tempting.

 

 

His lips brushed against yours hungrily, his soul flaring up as he touched you. He felt warmer than he'd ever been as he wound his arms around you, his fingerprints melting into you as he grasped for a part of you to bring him down to earth. He took in your scent as he pulled away, his head dizzy from the contact- and quickly pulled away, finally aware of just what he'd given in to.

 

“I...I'm sorry. You'll have to excuse me...” he sighed and looked away from where you sat- still bewildered by the turn of events.

 

He hadn't expected you to grab him by his collar and drown him in another kiss. He could taste you, an earthly taste that radiated your humanity, the saltiness from your tears as you wept into him. The heat from your soul spreading throughout him, fogging up his mind- he could barely take it.

 

You pulled away with a huff of breath, your eyes glistening with passion and an overwhelming sense of relief. “Don't you ever do that again...” you demanded and gave a tired smile.

 

“Kiss you? I don't think I could comply-” Mephisto snorted, his own smile growing on his face.

 

“No, you idiot! I meant don't you ever jump to conclusions without my explanation.”

 

“The same could be said for you, dearest.” Mephisto teased and you just sighed, wrapping your arms around him tightly.

 

“Just...Shut up. For once.” you laughed, ecstatic to find out that he wasn't your father. Really, it was more reliving than anything...Otherwise you'd of joined a church and became a nun to repent for your false sins.

 

Mephisto chuckled as well and wound his arms around you as well, sighing contently as he complied.

 

 

 

~

 

**A Few Months Later:**

 

“How did your mother pass?” Mephisto asked as he delicately sipped his tea from across the table.

 

As per the norm nowadays you two had been eating your meals together and talked more often. It was more for your sanity since the accident- having had many questions only Mephisto could really answer- and the craving of the others company. A lot had been on your mind recently...And Mephisto seemed to help ease the worries and troubles- even by just sitting there across from you.

 

His eyes were careful as he watched you sigh and take a minute to think. You knew how she died- it wasn't that hard to know- but thinking of it was...Difficult.

 

“She...She was killed by a demon. She had been with him for a while, it wasn't a surprise, but I guess I just didn't want to see it. I knew her newest boyfriend was feeding off of her bit by bit, but despite my instincts I couldn't bring myself to realize the truth. The man she'd been seeing had been an incubus, I'm sure of that now and eventually...I guess she just ran out of energy. I found her withered away laying in her bed one morning...”

 

Mephisto's careful eyes watched you as you stirred your own tea, adding more sugar in as you glanced down at the darkening liquid. You took this as a sign to continue speaking. “I blamed myself, honestly. I should have payed more attention to her. I keep thinking that I should have talked to her about him- questioned him in front of her. I knew that men that only came at night were only after one thing from a woman, but I guess I just wanted her to be happy...Even if it was killing her.”

 

“And you never held a grudge against demons for this?” Mephisto asked softly and he rested his hand on yours, supporting you with a single motion.

 

You glanced up at him with a tiny smile, thanking him for his support. The smile faded into a more serious look as you continued to speak, however.

 

“He didn't represent every demon out there. Sure, it sucked and I should have done something, but that’s no reason to hate <i>every</i> demon out there. It was one of the reasons I was so distraught when you suggested I was a demon, actually. Although I knew he didn't represent every demon ever- its like they said, one drop of soiled water doesn't ruin an ocean- but I was still...A bit bitter about it. I got over it, as you can guess, but pain makes humans do strange things...”

 

“Emotion is one of the greatest attributes a being can possess. Whether it be anger or sadness or even happiness, any being capable of feeling such things will act strangely under its grasp.”

 

Well. He wasn't wrong.

 

You shrugged, thinking for a minute before you spoke, “That's true.”

 

 

More thoughts crowded your mind as you sat in silence with the white suited man. So much had happened recently. It almost felt like a dream- but you knew it wasn't. No, no, the possession of ability and loss of it had happened. Your life had changed drastically with each turn you took, it seemed. But what fun was a boring, unchanging life? Without change you would have never been able to find Mephisto, met Amaimon or any of your other friends. Without change, you'd have lived a very unsatisfactory life.. Always thirsting for more..You don't think you'd ever be able to stand a life so dull.

It would have been a very dark existence for you..

 

“Mephisto..” you pondered and glanced up to find him raising an eyebrow.

 

“Hm?”

 

“That seraphim. When it attacked me..I lost the Hands of Time, didn't I?”

 

“I'm afraid so.” Mephisto nodded and set his cup down, his face loosing his smile, “But no matter. We'll get you a different set of swords to fight with. This won't take you out of the cram school, so you shouldn't satiate the thought of leaving.”

 

 

“That wasn't... _All_ I lost...Was it?”

 

 

Mephisto's smile crawled back up to his pink lips and he cave you a shifty look, his face painted with shadows. “I was beginning to think you'd never notice...”

 

“My vision is more...Blurry.” you gave a small smile but it was void of the darkness Mephisto's held. It was more sad and lethargic, created from the feelings within your skin.

 

 

“Will you miss it?”

 

 

More thoughts crossed your mind. How would you feel about it exactly? In a way, you'd be sad but then again...

 

“In a way, as anyone would be at the loss of something. But I think I'll survive.” you beamed and grinned up at him happily.

 

Change was a strange thing...

 

 

A hand caressed your face and you jumped as you realized Mephisto now leaned before you, his hands cupping your face gently.

 

“I always have adored pretty girls with a sad past~”

 

 

With that you both smiled and shared in a kiss, only a fraction of countless ones to come. Nothing else seemed to matter much any more. The world could change as it wished and you would still sit here with Mephisto, chatting away the time you had now so preciously collected. There were still questions you had, as any sane person would, but the were less pressing as you melted into the embrace. You could spend forever trapped in that one moment....

 

 

And for as long as time would allow you....You would.

 

 

 

**~END~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand that's all folks! This story has been A LONG time in the making and I want to thank each and every one of you for your time invested in this lovely story! :) It means quite a lot to me to know so many have enjoyed and spent time reading this story- it's amazing to know that my words have been read and loved by others.
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but maybe this won't be the direct end to this? I do have a few ideas up my sleeve, after all. :) Keep an eye out for my new story, if I get the time to post it soon.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope this story still finds you in good health, friends. :)
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you.
> 
>  
> 
> \- Viri.

**Author's Note:**

> Wordsandstuffandthisandthings. My newest obsession turned from creativity into this. It'll get somewhere eventually and at this point I only want you to enjoy it and tell me what you think!
> 
> I apologize in advance if any of the characters are OOC, its my first time writing for this series sooo, I'm working on it!
> 
> I own nothing but the story 
> 
> \- Viri


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